"It's A Race" Between Gators, UGA for DL Shone Washington
Photo: Shone Washington; Credit: Zach Goodall
The assembly of game-changing big men in the middle is paramount.
During his introductory press conference, new Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier emphasized the importance of stacking the tranches with depth and talent.
A significant part of his early recruitment efforts to retool the defensive line has been targeting Georgia commit and New Orleans defensive line product Shone Washington.
Pledging to the Bulldogs on Nov. 29 — just one day after the Gators announced Napier as the new head coach — Washington circled back to the University of Florida for an official visit Friday through Sunday.
Enjoying his time at UF, he said it was “great coming out here again” and getting an opportunity to gauge what the new staff has to offer him, having previously visited over the summer. As a result, he said his trip to Gainesville will force him to weigh his options as the sun sets on his recruitment.
It’s come down to Florida and Georgia.
“I’m gonna go home and think about both schools, and I’ll have my answer by Wednesday,” he said. “It’s a race. Right now, you know, it’s 50-50.”
Emphasizing the importance of relationships and connection in a talent-acquisition business, Napier and the shortlist of staffers he’s assembled thus far had the opportunity to connect with the Louisiana native from the get-go, having coached in the state the past four years.
“It’s nice because, you know, it’s people you can relate to, and they can relate to you about a lot of things,” Washington said when asked about the importance of their previous presence in the boot.
He spent the majority of his time with new running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and veteran Florida recruiting staffer Kelvin Bolden, but he also discussed his impressions of Napier and the direction he looks to lead Florida in the future.
“I like the program that they're about to build. I know the type of coach Coach Napier is, and I know that he's ready to make this program turn around.”
Washington, who stands at 6-foot-3, 297 pounds, shared with AllGators that Florida intends to play him at 3i and 4i defensive line techniques and at nose tackle if he was to choose UF as his collegiate destination.
“They like that I can stop the run and cause havoc in the middle,” he said. Of course, that’s a desirable trait for those who occupy the interior defensively.
With a relative lack of depth on the Gators front lines following the 2021 season, Washington has been presented the opportunity to contribute almost immediately upon his arrival to campus.
Florida made sure to sell that to him in their conversations with the talented run stopper.
“They said everybody starting out fresh but get in there because they need defensive lineman that’s going to come in and impact,” he said. “You come in, you got to work regardless, so I’m gonna come in and do what I got to do.”
Florida is set to run a 3-4 base defense under co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney and could sprinkle in 4-3 looks.
Currently, UF looks to win Washington over despite not having named a defensive line coach. They didn’t share a name with him, but Washington was told that he would be in good hands with a “well-known guy” manning the defensive trenches.
Washington is set to sign at Warren Easton High School Wednesday at 1 P.M. eastern.
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