Five-star Matt Elam “85% committed” to Florida

By Adam Silverstein
November 10, 2009

Five-star Florida Gators safety commitment Matt Elam called himself only “85 percent committed” to the team on Tuesday, one day after telling a reporter from Rivals that the Gators had nothing to worry about in regard to his commitment.

“Though I made a verbal commitment to Florida last year to take the pressure off me, my brother [Cleveland Browns safety Abram Elam] thought it would be a good idea to take some visits anyway, just in case,” Elam said in a blog entry on his brother’s Web site. “So the recruitment is still going on, and I’m getting attention from a lot of different schools. Other schools I’m looking at are Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia.”

While this blog entry comes straight for Elam, I am taking his comments with a grain of salt at this point. Especially considering just a day or two ago, Elam told Rivals that “[Florida] don’t have any reason to worry. I’m going to Florida.” Elam has reaffirmed his commitment on numerous occasions, including again today on his facebook page (“I AM GOING TO UF! I love to have p[eo]pl[e] thinking!”), that backing away from the Gators at this point is simply not likely. Couple that with his family’s relationship with head coach Urban Meyer, and Elam is all for the Gators as far as I am concerned. The “85 percent” statement may rub some (including the Florida coaching staff) the wrong way, but let’s be honest: Who is really 100 percent sure about anything as an 18-year-old high school student?

Photo Credit: Jim Rassol, Sun-Sentinel

9 Comments

  1. O-town Gator says:

    I have a sneaking suspicion that Elam’s reading the latest rumor mills – that, Kiffin may be up to no good, or there’s other adverse stuff going on….. I really hope Meyer can quash all this, remain true to his word (meaning what he publicly stated this past July), and keep Elam headed to Gainesville.

  2. It’s certainly a concern. That is the first thing that I thought of as well…that maybe Kiffin got him and is playing the game where he stays quiet and promises he is going to Florida once again. I just don’t think Elam would do something like that to Meyer considering the history the two share. What I do believe is that Elam has less than two months of high school left and wants all the attention he can get before enrolling in the Spring. He’s already visited UF four times this year and Meyer got him to agree to make an “official” visit to him last, which he originally wasn’t going to do at all.

  3. Mr2Bits says:

    This kid is more drama than a sorority…good Lord

  4. ReptilesRule says:

    I think he is just having a little fun with this whole thing. Besides, if for some very remote chance he is pulling a Nukeese here, well, we don’t need people like that playing for the Gators anyway!! Let them go to Tennessee and experience the same fun that Richardson is having right now (considering transferring).

  5. Sarasota 'cane says:

    He’s probably waiting to see what Charlie Strong does. I would suspect that if Charlie were to take a head coaching position at another school, Elam would fall to Tenn. Lane Kiffin aside, playing in Monty Kiffin’s pro-style, “Tampa 2” defense has an upside as well. All you can do is wait at this point. If the kid starts to make a mockery of the process, then you have to pull the scholarship. No one player is bigger than an entire program.

  6. Agreed, no one is bigger than the entire program. Good analysis Sarasota. I happen to disagree on the Charlie Strong point, especially seeing as Elam will have to commit before Strong has the opportunity to be hired away from the team. (He is planning to come in this Spring.) Also, it is Elam’s relationship with Meyer that is most important, and Vance Bedford is as great of a secondary coach as you are going to find.

  7. Abram Elam says:

    Get my name right or I’ll tell my bro not to go to UF.

  8. Haha. Good call. It was really early in the morning (for me).

  9. LOL@UF when he chooses the NOLES….

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