Florida Gators Football Recruiting: Tedarrell Slaton Update
The Florida Gators football team is attempting to turn Tedarrell Slaton from offense to defense. The star recruit loves the idea of making that change.
The Florida Gators football team has lost a number of tantalizing talents to graduation and the 2017 NFL Draft. The likes of Jarrad Davis and Joey Ivie will depart due to graduation, and players such as Caleb Brantley, Teez Tabor, and Quincy Wilson have opted to forego their senior season.
With the defense losing a number of players who are vital to team success, the Gators will need to reload before it’s too late.
One of the players whom the Gators hope can help stabilize the defense in the wake of these losses is Tedarrell Slaton. A four-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Slaton is the No. 3 offensive guard on the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
According to Zach Abolverdi of SEC Country, Slaton would rather line up on defense, which is why Florida has emerged as his top school.
"“Florida is recruiting me for defense,” Slaton told SEC Country. “That’s kind of what I want to play in college, and that’s why Florida is my leader.”"
That’s a promising sign for a team that’s losing a number of critical players along the defensive line.
Slaton is a 6’5″ and 360-pound athlete with the strength to overpower opponents and potentially break into the backfield. He routinely overwhelms the opposition when run blocking, which implies that he could do the same when attempting to create penetration.
There’s no guaranteeing that Slaton will be able to play defense at a high level, but his desire to do so is a promising step in the right direction.
As for what Florida is doing to recruit him, this is a prime example of an all hands on deck effort.
Interim defensive coordinator Randy Shannon has been leading the recruiting charge for the Gators. Florida is also benefiting from the presence of commits Marco Wilson and James Houston, who attend the same high school as Slaton.
Though nothing will be truly guaranteed until National Signing Day, Florida appears to be on the fast track to success.
Must Read: Road to Signing Day
The question is: can Jim McElwain, Shannon, and the Gators close out the recruiting process strong?