Texas lands commitment from Rivals100 LB De'Gabriel Floyd
Rivals100 linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd visited Texas for a long weekend in February and was pretty open that the three-day stay in Austin blew him away. This week, Floyd is back in Austin and on Saturday morning the Westlake Village (CA) standout decided he’d seen everything he needed to see, and Floyd gave the Texas staff a big commitment.
“I didn’t actually plan on committing this early. I planned on kind of waiting it out, seeing what’s what. But I came here the first time, I just fell in love, felt like it might be the best decision for me,” Floyd said. “I felt all the vibe, all the coaches are in my corner, not just with football but helping me as a man and bettering myself and my craft.”
Floyd met with Texas head coach Tom Herman, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and Director of Recruiting Bryan Carrington on Saturday and made his decision official. Needless to say, all three Texas coaches were ecstatic to hear the news.
“It’s a huge relief. Huge relief and joy,” Floyd said. “When I told coach Herman when I was in his office, after I told him I couldn’t stop smiling. My cheeks wouldn’t allow me to. Coach Herman just jumped up out of his seat, gave me a hug.”
As a Rivals100 member and one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects, Floyd has colleges from around the country actively recruiting him. Now that he’s committed, Floyd said he doesn’t plan on showing interest in any other programs.
“I’m kind of not even going to answer. But if they’re really on me, I’m just going to let them know, I’m 1,000-percent committed, shut it down, tell them I’m not interested in any other schools,” Floyd said.
The 6-2, 218-pound Floyd will return to Austin at some point for an official visit. He says that will be the only official visit he’ll take. In the meantime, Floyd said he’s going to start doing some recruiting on UT’s behalf, and enjoying being part of the Texas family.
“I love my future teammates. My first time meeting them, guys like B.J. Foster, Dele (Adeoye), Anthony Cook, a few other guys, I just automatically clicked with them and had a great bond like I knew them for the longest time,” Floyd said. “I love the coaches. Coach Herman is a great guy, coach Orlando is a great guy, they’re going to get me ready to play. Coach BC (Bryan Carrington), they all played a big role. I love their scheme, and I get to wear my number so everything just fell into place.”
Floyd becomes the Longhorns’ fourth commitment in the 2018 class, joining quarterback Roschon Johnson, receiver Jordan Whittington and defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat. He becomes Texas’ second commitment from the Rivals100, joining Whittington.