Take 2: Is there pressure for Florida to pick up a commitment before the end of the weekend?

Welcome to Take 2, where Gators Online staffers Corey Bender and Keith Niebuhr give their thoughts on Florida Gators football recruiting. Today’s topic:

Here are their respective takes…

COREY BENDER: I know fans want immediate results, but when you are visiting major schools like Florida, Georgia, LSU and others, you are typically making a business decision. And if that is the case, you are also visiting a flurry of programs and comparing the pros and cons. You can’t rush a life-changing decision like this.

So, no, I don’t believe there is pressure to reel in a commitment this weekend. As long as you move the needle and take full advantage of the opportunity, that is enough for me in June. This is arguably the most important month in recruiting now. Most top targets are officially visiting several schools during that time, so you have to operate with patience and make a splash when given your turn.

Also, you will see Florida host some additional prospects during the fall or in December and January. Those can be prospects on the rise who just recently landed on UF’s radar, or those who decided to take official visits closer to the Early Signing Period; however, much of the action nowdays is definitely in June.

All in all, after speaking with sources, the Gators are definitely taking advantage of the moments this weekend. Several five-star prospects are in town, and even the following two weekends, there are some elite targets scheduled to spend several days in Gainesville.

If a target wants to be teamed up with the Gators, he will make that move when he’s ready. The commitments will come, folks.

KEITH NIEBUHR: Not at all. Not from where I sit anyway. I think people sometimes get too focused on how many commits happen during a big event. If commitments come, great. But if not, it’s really not a big deal just so long as you lay the groundwork for them to happen down the road.

Perception wise, does it matter? I mean, if getting ripped by fans of other programs who have nothing better to do really bothers you, maybe the best thing would be to stay off Twitter. Because they’re opinions don’t matter. And honestly, recruits aren’t looking at that either. They’re not thinking about momentum and perception; they’re looking at their own individual situations.

And let’s be realistic here. This is the first weekend in June and some recruits are just now taking their first officials. Most top-level prospects are likely to officially visit multiple programs. Everyone knows this. So that in itself makes it difficult to get commitments this weekend.

So if you’re Florida, you focus on doing the best you can this weekend. If you lead for a prospect, create greater separation. If you’re in a battle, show them why your program and school stand out. Also, if you’re trailing, figure out the few things that prospect really needs to see and experience and focus on that.

Some schools like hosting elite players early in the official visit calendar. Some prefer to do it later.

There’s really no right way or wrong way. As a staff, you have to decide what’s best for your program at any point in time. The Gators thought early June would be a great opportunity to host an outstanding group or prospects. If most of these players leave for home liking Florida more than when they arrived, that would be significant even if nobody jumps in the boat.

The bottom line is this: It’s now when someone commits that truly matters. It’s that they ultimately end up in the class on signing day.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.

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