LB Sammy Brown Impressed by Gators Culture, Facilities on Florida Visit
The month of June started with a bang as the Florida Gators hosted a bevy of top prospects in the 2023 and even 2024 recruiting classes.
Following an offer from Florida on May 19, linebacker prospect Sammy Brown told AllGators that he was looking to make a trip to Gainesville over the summer. That trip came sooner rather than later as he got his face-to-face introduction with the staff on Saturday.
He recapped his day trip from Jefferson (Ga.) to The Swamp, shared his thoughts on the new facilities being built, elaborated on his early relationships with the staff and more.
An area of the Gators' pitch that has stood out significantly to Brown during his contact with Florida — albeit limited to this point — is the genuine care for the players exuded through the action of head coach Billy Napier and his staff.
Getting to see that up close and personal with his first face-to-face encounter with the staff, Brown left impressed with the thought that goes into player care.
“He's just a really genuine guy,” Brown said. “He cares a lot about the players and how they're doing and what they're doing. They're building that new facility, and about 99% of it is for the players. I mean, they've got like a hot tub and a pool and all that. He's getting new apartments for the players.
“So, just stuff like that helps the players buy in more to his program and what he's doing, and it's going to help, you know, get more recruits and all that. It's really going to help that program.”
He attributes that reality as a part of the culture Napier is attempting to build with the Gators. It’s a facet of the program that stood out to him the last time we talked but was magnified during his day on campus.
“I really like what coach Napier is doing right there," Brown continued. "He's really brought a genuine culture that is more worried about the players and the development of the players on and off the field than it is about wins and losses.
"That's really something that myself, as well as my parents, really like because football isn't going to last forever."
In Brown’s eyes, the moves Napier is making have the ability to maximize buy-in amongst players in the field due to the respect and authenticity they are shown off of it.
With that being the case, Brown said he believes the Gators could be well on their way back to the top of the food chain in the Southeastern Conference.
“He's definitely going to be able to help that program become a dangerous one in the SEC in the next couple of years," Brown remarked.
However, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound 'backer spent most of his time during his visit with the man who would serve as his position coach at Florida, inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman.
Brown said their conversations included several off-the-field topics, but his biggest takeaway was how personable he was. He said that was something the entire staff had in common.
“He's really laid back, you know, really down to earth. He's not one of those people that sits on a throne," Brown shared. "I really liked that he's like that because he's a lot easier to talk to. You can get in touch with him a lot easier, and he's more of a friend than he is a coach. I think that's something that really helps a lot of players when they get to college.”
Although Brown has a long time before a commitment decision will be made — something Napier understands and has told him to take his time to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime process — the new aura at Florida has intrigued the talented 2024 linebacker.
While Napier is mature in his thoughts that securing the Jefferson (Ga.) product at the moment is unrealistic, he made sure to tell Brown to keep Florida in consideration going forward.
By the looks of things, that is going to happen. He is looking to return as soon as possible for another unofficial visit.
“I really want to get back down there for a visit soon so we can sit down and talk some football,” Brown said.
His timeline for a return to Gainesville is uncertain, but he has an idea of what he’ll be waiting on before he makes another trip to town.
“After they get the new facility built and together because I just want to see it,” he said in reference to the state of the art James W. “Bill” Heavener Center nearing its’ grand opening.
“It's gonna be insane. It is unbelievable. It’s gonna be the nicest in the country, I think.”
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