National Signing Day is just six days away, and Florida’s 2014 recruiting class currently has 21 commits. With only four scholarships remaining for the class, Florida hopes to fill one of the open spots with five-star offensive tackle Damian Prince.
Prince, who hails from Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara High, will be taking his official visit to Florida this weekend. Prince is also considering Maryland, which he visited in November 2013.
Social media, year-round coverage of recruiting and the pressure put on young prospects can often affect the recruiting process. But Bishop McNamara coach Keith Goganious said Prince has handled the madness of the process well.
“I think he is mature enough and focused enough to understand that he’s in this particular situation because of hard work,” Goganious said. “He has the opportunity to do something that he’s always dreamed about — being able to go to school and get a good education and play football at some of the best college towns in the country.”
Prince’s hometown, Forestville, is only 20 minutes outside of the Maryland campus. The Terrapins are moving from the Atlantic Coast Conference to the Big Ten Conference in 2014. The Big Ten has been a hot bed for producing talented offensive linemen, but Goganious says staying close to home is not the only thing factoring into Prince’s decision.
“It’s close to home, obviously,” Goganious said.
“The thing about it is he wants to be able to compete going into any school that he goes to. I think the opportunity to play right away entices him, and I think also the opportunity to be a contributor to the team is something that he’s looking for.”
Prince could get the opportunity to contribute early if he chooses UF.
The Gators return just five offensive linemen with starting experience in 2014. They have four offensive linemen in their current class, including JUCO transfer Drew Sarvary. Florida is moving from a pro-style offense to an up-tempo, spread scheme.
In accordance with the new offensive style, the Gators hired new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper from Duke and new offensive-line coach Mike Summers from USC during the offseason.
Goganious said Prince is looking forward to getting familiar with the coaching staff and getting a feel for where the program is headed after an injury-plagued 4-8 season during the visit.
“He’s going in and seeing where the new offensive-line coach is, his techniques and the stuff he teaches (and) how can he make him a better player,” Goganious said.
“He’s also going and seeing the direction that the program is going, and I’m pretty sure if it’s a win-win type of thing and he feels comfortable, then it’ll give him some more leverage in trying to make a decision on what he wants to do.”
Goganious stressed the importance of Prince getting an opportunity to get reps early. Maryland’s depth chart along the offensive line featured just one senior.
Florida has plenty of room along the line for Prince. The Bishop McNamara coach said Prince has both on- and off-the-field assets that will translate well to the college level.
“He’s very a very athletic guy for his size, runs very well,” Goganious said. “He’ll work on getting strength and all that stuff, that’s just part of the transition from high school to college. I think his upswing is so great. He’s just a great personable person to be around, a team-oriented guy.”
Prince will make his decision on where to attend school on National Signing Day on Wednesday, just three days after his official visit to Gainesville.
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @Morgan_Moriarty
Offensive line coach Mike Summers at a press conference in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
