DT Kelby Collins Talks Florida Gators Official Visit: ‘They Definitely Moved Up’
Photo: Kelby Collins; Credit: Zach Goodall
Gardendale (Ala) defensive tackle Kelby Collins enjoyed his official visit with the Florida Gators this weekend.
During the visit, Collins met with the program's coaching staff and toured the campus for the first time under its new regime led by head coach Billy Napier. Collins unofficially visited the program last year while then-head coach Dan Mullen was still in charge.
Now, there was a newness surrounding the program, something that is intriguing to Collins as he gets recruited by a couple of Florida's top defensive coaches: defensive line coach/co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer and safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney.
"You can definitely tell a difference," Collins told reporters on Sunday shortly following his visit when asked about the new coaching staff compared to the old one.
"I feel like this staff has a lot more energy. Everybody's a lot closer, especially hanging out with some of the players. I feel like everybody's like a brotherhood. With people like [assistant AD of recruiting strategy] Katie [Turner], she really lit up the experience, bringing her energy. So I feel like they have a great staff."
Part of the appeal of Florida's new staff comes not only from the energy they bring both on and off the gridiron but also in how the staff has grown in experience through their collegiate history or even in the pros.
That's certainly the case for a coach like Spencer, who has coached both the New York Giants and was a longtime coach at Penn State before heading down to Gainesville.
Collins, 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, spent plenty of time with "coach Chaos" during his visit, as the program looks to use the young DL as a 4 or 5 technique within their scheme.
"I learned a lot of new stuff. He showed me a couple of moves, showed me a couple of guys he worked with like [former Penn State, current Dallas Cowboys LB] Micah Parsons," Collins said of Spencer.
"I feel like that stuck out; that he trained some of the best, recruited some of the best. Got them to the league and developed them in the league as well. So, I feel like he has a plan for me."
Prior to visiting Florida, Collins already had the program high on his radar, placing them within the top five as far as programs he's considering committing to. Along with Florida, Collins is considering Oklahoma, South Carolina, Georgia and his hometown team, Alabama.
Though he is not from the area, Collins was able to connect with several Florida players that hail from his hometown, including linebackers Jeremiah ‘Scooby' Williams and Chief Borders. Williams was Collins' host for the visit, the player that was assigned to him, showing him around campus and the living quarters that Florida provides to its football athletes.
That made the visit more comfortable and the idea of joining the Gators more intriguing for Collins.
"He made me feel comfortable too, just he's bringing his energy and just hanging out with them, it made me comfortable here," Collins said.
With this official visit now over, Collins did indicate that it helped him feel good about potentially heading to the university. Given the program's closeness, energy and want to achieve the same goal - bringing Florida back to where it once was -, it makes sense.
"I feel like they definitely moved up some," he said. "I'm just waiting to see [how] everybody else plays out."
Collins currently has a couple of more official visits lined up, including to South Carolina on June 10th and Georgia on June 24th. Though there is no timeline set for a decision to be made as of yet, Collins did indicate that the decision could come just prior to his senior season beginning this fall.
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