- Aug 1, 2014
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Five-star recruit “got scared” when UF, FSU coaches crossed paths at his school
Zach Abolverdi
SEC Country Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Defensive endAntonneous Clayton found himself in an awkward situation Wednesday.
Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly as well as Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins and defensive line coach Chris Rumph were all at his high school (Dooly County) in Vienna, Ga. At the same time.
At one point, the three coaches even crossed paths in between visits with Clayton.
“It was crazy,” he said. “They bumped into each other right in front of me. I got scared.”
Antonneous Clayton is a consensus top-100 overall recruit. (Zach Abolverdi/AJC)
FSU is one of two schools still trying to flip Clayton from the Gators. The Under Armour All-American hosted three Auburn coaches for an in-home visit Monday.
Clayton told 247Sports last week he would “most likely” visit the Tigers this month, but that’s no longer the case.
“They’re trying to get me to come,” Clayton said. “They were just telling me that old staff is done and they have new coaches. Coach (Will) Muschamp is not there anymore and they don’t want me to judge the school because of the past.
“I mean, they’re a good school, but I’m probably not going to visit there,” Clayton continued. “I’m real loyal to the Gators. Once I committed, I said I wasn’t taking other visits. I take that seriously.”
Collins and Rumph also came to see Clayton this past Saturday for an in-home visit.
“It was great to see them,” he said. “They took time out of their recruiting weekend to come see me, and that shows me how much of a priority I am.”
The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder will take his official to UF this weekend with parents in tow.
“I want to see the school and the dorms,” Clayton said. “Other than that, I’m just taking my family there so they can have a great time and enjoy themselves. I want them to have fun and take it all in before I go there.”
Clayton made a huge jump in the final recruiting rankings this week and is now Florida’s highest-rated commit in the 247Sports Composite.
Clayton earned his fifth star from Rivals.com and became the No. 10 overall recruit in the ESPN 300.
“Finally,” Clayton said when asked what his reaction was. “I expected to make that big of a jump because most of the (Under Armour All-American) guys that were in front of me didn’t play as well as I did
“It’s a big relief off my shoulders. I can focus on what’s truly important now that I got that out of the way. But it looks good on my resume.”
If Clayton sticks with Florida, the Gators will have signed at least one ESPN 300 recruit ranked 11th overall or higher for nine consecutive years.
Zach Abolverdi
SEC Country Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Defensive endAntonneous Clayton found himself in an awkward situation Wednesday.
Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly as well as Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins and defensive line coach Chris Rumph were all at his high school (Dooly County) in Vienna, Ga. At the same time.
At one point, the three coaches even crossed paths in between visits with Clayton.
“It was crazy,” he said. “They bumped into each other right in front of me. I got scared.”
Antonneous Clayton is a consensus top-100 overall recruit. (Zach Abolverdi/AJC)
FSU is one of two schools still trying to flip Clayton from the Gators. The Under Armour All-American hosted three Auburn coaches for an in-home visit Monday.
Clayton told 247Sports last week he would “most likely” visit the Tigers this month, but that’s no longer the case.
“They’re trying to get me to come,” Clayton said. “They were just telling me that old staff is done and they have new coaches. Coach (Will) Muschamp is not there anymore and they don’t want me to judge the school because of the past.
“I mean, they’re a good school, but I’m probably not going to visit there,” Clayton continued. “I’m real loyal to the Gators. Once I committed, I said I wasn’t taking other visits. I take that seriously.”
Collins and Rumph also came to see Clayton this past Saturday for an in-home visit.
“It was great to see them,” he said. “They took time out of their recruiting weekend to come see me, and that shows me how much of a priority I am.”
The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder will take his official to UF this weekend with parents in tow.
“I want to see the school and the dorms,” Clayton said. “Other than that, I’m just taking my family there so they can have a great time and enjoy themselves. I want them to have fun and take it all in before I go there.”
Clayton made a huge jump in the final recruiting rankings this week and is now Florida’s highest-rated commit in the 247Sports Composite.
Clayton earned his fifth star from Rivals.com and became the No. 10 overall recruit in the ESPN 300.
“Finally,” Clayton said when asked what his reaction was. “I expected to make that big of a jump because most of the (Under Armour All-American) guys that were in front of me didn’t play as well as I did
“It’s a big relief off my shoulders. I can focus on what’s truly important now that I got that out of the way. But it looks good on my resume.”
If Clayton sticks with Florida, the Gators will have signed at least one ESPN 300 recruit ranked 11th overall or higher for nine consecutive years.
