Many high school seniors spend their final semester worried about prom or the remaining days before graduation.
For 12 of the newest Gators, however, their spring months will consist of long workouts, grueling drills and their first-ever chance to practice in a Florida football helmet.
The early enrollees from the 2021 class have only been working with the team for a week, but several of them have already made an impression.
Nick Elksnis, a three-star tight end from Jacksonville, Florida, already looks the part of a Division I tight end. Listed at 6 feet, 6 inches and 237 pounds, coaches believe Elksnis is playing like one as well.
“He’s a big, strong, physical guy,” tight end coach Tim Brewster said. “He’s got a maturity about him.”
The 15th-ranked tight end in his class, Elksnis made the All-First Coast first team in 2019 and 2020, with 61 catches for 1,181 yards and 13 touchdowns across the two seasons.
“I couldn’t be more excited about a young guy than I am him,” Brewster said.
After the decommitment of five-star transfer Arik Gilbert Sunday, the tight end room will sorely miss star Kyle Pitts. Kemore Gamble and Keon Zipperer each saw time in 2020, but Elksnis could see the field if he continues to impress.
The Gators recruited a five-star corner and two four-star safeties in 2021, the biggest positional victory for the 13th-ranked recruiting class. Cornerback Jason Marshall and safety Corey Collier Jr. both together in high school and both drew Brewster’s attention after a few days of practice.
“They’re extremely athletic and you can see their coverage skills,” Brewster said. “They’re obviously going to make an impact on our defense.”
With four 2020 starters lost to the professional ranks, Marshall and Collier, along with safety Donovan McMillon, could find a path to the field with a great spring.
Returning linebacker Mohamoud Diabate hasn’t just been impressed by one specific early enrollee. He’s been impressed by the energy all of them bring.
“The thing I like about this young group is they’ve all been coming out and [attacking], every rep,” Diabate said. “They’re attacking every rep, every workout. They really want to be great.”
Diabate mentioned defensive lineman Justus Boone and corner Jordan Young. Boone, an edge rusher from South Carolina, weighs in at 6 feet, 4 inches and 265 pounds, and Young is a 6-foot three-star recruit from nearby Tampa.
Their relentless approach endeared the enrollees to Diabate quickly.
“I have a great deal of respect, and I love all of them,” Diabate said. “I’m really excited to see what they do this season and the years to come.”
Nobody can mistake new defensive lineman Desmond Watson.
He weighs 432 pounds, after all.
The freshman’s size remains a hot topic. Head coach Dan Mullen joked Watson needed to lose the weight of a 13-year-old. However, Diabate praised the freshman’s work in the weight room to slim down.
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham had a different first impression of Watson — one that had nothing to do with his weight.
“He’s really a good athlete,” Grantham said. “He’s really got quick feet. He’s got the ability to change direction. He’s obviously going to be a guy who can hold the point.”
Grantham, however, acknowledged that Watson will have to lose weight, to get in shape for SEC football. Once he gets to playing weight, though, fans may see a talent they weren’t expecting based on the scale.
“You’re going to see a guy that will be able to make some range plays and maybe get from point A to point B a little bit better than you may anticipate right now,” Grantham said.
Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley
Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.
