With some of the top high school talent from across the nation converging on Gainesville this past Friday for the sixth annual Friday Night Lights camp, the star recruits were sure to shine bright.
But when it came time to show off for Florida’s coaches and their fellow campers, it was the tight ends that stole the spotlight in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
There was no doubt heading into the camp that the tight ends would impress, with both the No. 2 (Nick O’Leary) and No. 6 overall (A.C. Leonard) tight ends in the nation, according to Rivals.com, on hand.
Leonard, who already committed to the Gators, looked good during the camp and impressed those watching on.
“He’s phenomenal, he’s going to be great. I think he’s definitely going to make it to the next level,” said Nick Waisome, a four-star cornerback prospect from Groveland’s South Lake, who covered Leonard during drills.
Leonard reiterated his oral commitment to UF but also said he spent some of the camp trying to recruit other players to commit, though he didn’t give specific names.
O’Leary, from Palm Beach Gardens’ Dwyer, garnered much attention from Florida’s coaches Friday. He has yet to commit to a school, though UF remains in the hunt.
Coach Urban Meyer spent a lot of time talking to, and recruiting, O’Leary early in the night while the players were doing position drills, and then Meyer looked on from the endzone while O’Leary and Leonard competed in one-on-one drills later in the evening.
O’Leary ran crisp routes, showed good speed and had some nice catches, including one over his left shoulder for a touchdown during one-on-ones, however, he did drop a few balls late.
The surprise standout among the group was Junior Pome’e, a three-star hybrid wide receiver and tight end from Moreno Valley’s Rancho Verde High (Calif.) who is committed to UCLA.
Pome’e was all over the field, doing work with running backs during position drills, and with wide receivers and tight ends later in the night.
His performance earned the attention of Meyer, who spoke to him at the end of camp.
“I just balled out and had fun, that’s all I wanted to do,” Pome’e said.
Even though he is committed to the Bruins, he spoke highly of Florida and his relationship with current Gators defensive lineman Ronald Powell. However, UF has yet to offer him a scholarship.
