Gators OT Target Monroe Freeling Releases Top 5; Sets Commitment Date
An end is in sight for Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) offensive tackle Monroe Freeling.
On Saturday, Freeling announced that he will be making his awaited commitment decision on Monday. He included the Florida Gators alongside Georgia, Clemson, Miami and Alabama in the list of schools he will choose from.
Considered one of the Gators' top uncommitted targets moving into the fall, Freeling's decision to commit early doesn't seemingly bode well for Florida's chances to secure his commitment.
However, Freeling is intrigued by Florida's emphasis on the offensive line. Not only does the position contain two on-field coaches in Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton, but it adds multiple off-field assistants that are hands-on with the unit.
"They were telling me they have five, they're not [all] coaching offensive line specifically, but they all work with the offensive line," Freeling told AllGators in June.
"That just helps you get ready. Efficiency-wise, I think that developing with just one coach would kind of be generic. But if you have two coaches, then that means you're getting two times the amount of coaching and you're also getting two different perspectives of coaching. I think that it helps."
They will look to use that to persuade him in the final hours of his open status.
Currently, the Gators hold a recruiting class on the cusp of the top ten. Equipped with high-caliber players at a plethora of positions, one notable area of need missing an elite prospect is offensive tackle, given the void of quality and quantity in the position group now and moving forward.
If Monroe elects to commit elsewhere on Monday, the Gators will go into survival mode in their attempt to secure a bookend exterior lineman for the future. De La Salle (La.) prospect Caden Jones – who named UF as his leader via the Varsity Podcast on Thursday – presents the most likely landing at this stage of Florida's recruiting efforts.
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