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Daniel Wright’s Top Five Doesn’t Include Florida, But Gators Are ‘In The Mix’
Daniel Wright's top five doesn't include Florida, but the Gators are "in the mix" according to the 4-star recruit.
March 10, 2016
Daniel Wright’s top five doesn’t include the Florida Gators, but that’s not to say UF is completely out of the mix.
Mention the name Major Wright and one image immediately pops into the heads of Gator fans – the hit he laid on Oklahoma’s Manny Johnson during the 2009 BCS National Championship Game. It’s a play that’ll be talked about forever by Gator Nation.
While he has since taken his talents to the professional ranks, being selected No. 75 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, he has a little brother waiting in the wings ready to carry on the tradition of the Wright name at the safety position in college.
David Wright, the nation’s No. 142 overall player and No. 10 safety, is one of the most coveted recruits for the 2017 recruiting class. With his brother having starred at the University of Florida, you’d think the Gators would have a leg up on the competition for his commitment, but that’s not the case.
According to Wright, who recently spoke with Zach Alboverdi of SEC Country, Florida is not even among his top five schools – a list that includes the likes of Auburn, Clemson, FSU, LSU and Miami.
However, that doesn’t mean Jim McElwain and the Gators don’t have a shot at him.
“Florida is in the mix,” he told Alboverdi. “Florida is home. It’s been that way for me since I was little because my brother played there. So I know everything about that school and I’m going to visit there again soon.”
The man directly tasked with swaying Wright is new defensive backs coach Torian Gray, whom McElwain hired from Virginia Tech. Gray has his work cutout for him, but it sounds like Wright is looking for a reason to move the Gators up his board.
“He’s a great coach and we’ve talked,” Wright said. “We’re looking to build some chemistry. I know some of the DB’s at Florida already, so I just need to get to know coach Gray.”
The team that poses the biggest competition for Gray? Arch-rival Florida State, who Wright named a leader in August 2015. The Seminoles are the big dog in the state right now, making his recruitment for the Gators even more important. If McElwain wants to shift some of the power from Tallahassee back to Gainesville, he needs to land the players who in the past would have been a Florida lock.
Florida’s biggest storyline this spring is …
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