Parental Perspective: Florida Football Commits Parental RoundTable

Gasper & Wiggins Q&A

by Alyssa Britton-Harr
2 comments

Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators

Inside the Gators spoke with running back commit Chad Gasper’s father Chad Gasper, and defensive line commit Jalen Wiggins’ father Walter Wiggins to get a feel for the recruiting process, their interaction with the Florida staff, and much more.

Here are their responses:

Just in general, what was the recruiting process like for your son and family?

Gasper: “The recruiting process was great. It was way more than I expected it to be with the times we are living in right now. We went all over the place, from Michigan to the Swamp. It was tiresome too because we traveled a lot and were figuring out what offenses these teams run and if we would want to live there for the next four years.”

Wiggins: “At UF, it was a really good process, especially not only for my son but also for my wife, who is a Florida State alum. She was really impressed with it and the entire staff. It’s been a really good process.”

Is there an interesting or funny recruiting story to share? Something the fanbase doesn’t know about.

Wiggins: “Nothing interesting, but the team has consistently reached out even with non-related football things. My wife lost her aunt, and we got texts from the staff and their condolences and even during the hurricane. I guess a funny thing was when Jalen was initially offered, and we came down for a visit in January. We went to Coach Napier’s office; Jalen went in first and then behind him. Coach Napier shook his hand and told him it was a pleasure to have him down there. He wanted to do this face-to-face and told them he had spoken with his high school coaches and teachers. They all echoed good things about him, and since then, he wanted to offer him a four-year scholarship to play at the University of Florida.”

We are in a day and age where NIL is a prominent component of college football. How much of a factor was that during the recruiting process and how much did coaches recruiting your son speak on it?

Gasper: “Yes, it was something we used as a data point and a factor, but it was not the end all be all. Everyone wants to be compensated for their skill sets, and it makes you feel warm about making certain decisions, but that was not the main attraction. We wanted to go somewhere with a warm coaching staff and community and live in a place that represents the morals I have taught him and for him to make a home if he didn’t make it to the next level.”

Wiggins: “The NIL we kinda know is something that is going to be there for him being the player he is. What he was looking for was not only a school that satisfied him athletically but also academically. The NIL was not the major factor in his decision to go to Florida, but he grew up a fan, and the relationships he had established since he had been going through persuaded him. Also, the mechanical engineering program has always been his dream.”

Since his commitment, what has your son’s and your family’s interaction been like with the Florida staff from the head coach down to staff members?

Gasper: “Oh, it has been awesome. My son and I just visited, and we got to see the culture and how the coaching staff interacts with the kids. My son liked how the coaching staff was and how everyone galvanized the football team. Then we came on an official visit, and they knew our names, my wife’s name, and my kids, and they made it a point to engage with us. Since [Chad] has made his commitment, we constantly talk to coach Juluke, and he is constantly ensuring we are staying engaged. We are in Texas, and they are in Florida; you can start to feel the engagement. Coach Napier talks to my kid about every two weeks. That is something that makes him excited about playing and being at the University.”

Wiggins: “It has been awesome professionalism by everyone. They continued to reach out after he committed and no more than two weeks will go by where we don’t hear from them. Jalen’s position coach has been Coach Mike Peterson and Coach Larry [Williams] has been very diligent with reaching out. Coach Napier reached out and my wife talks with Bri Wade all the time. She was asking them for stores to find Gator gear.”

Speaking of interactions, what has your experience been like dealing with the Gator Nation either in person at games or online? Not only as far as your son goes, but the overall impression of how Florida fans are toward the team as well.

Gasper: “We were there for the spring and Miami games. Gator Nation is similar to when I went to school; if everyone is on board and doing well, they will be happy, so we see both sides when they are excited and frustrated. Overall, from a recruiting perspective, every fan that knows we are committed is more than warm and is excited to have him come and turn things around and bring Florida back to the promised land.”

Wiggins: “It’s been good; Jalen has done a couple of interviews with different athletes. He has done some things X and spoken with people there multiple times, speaking with the fan base. He gets backlash since we live in Tallahassee, and people think he will go there.”

What is your impression of Billy Napier, your son’s position coach, and the UF staff in general?

Gasper: “Coach Napier comes across as a straight shooter. He has a calm side to him and his delivery to give his message and criticism by being subtle and sometimes being forefront. He always looks at the bright side of things. He will acknowledge bad things and bring back the bright side. Coach [Jabbar] Juluke is straight to the point and tells you exactly what he needs to get done. When we met with him, he sat down with my son and me and broke his game down with everything he did well and where he needed to improve. The way Juluke interacts with his running back room is awesome, and his guys are in it for him. When my son saw that dynamic group, he said he wanted to be part of it. He is close with Jadan Baugh because he took him under his wing when we came down.”

Wiggins: “Coach Napier has been such a delight. He got us on a thread with myself, my wife, and my son. When the situation happened with my wife’s aunt, he kept reaching out in July. Coach Peterson and his wife have been very prominent in the process, as have Coach Williams and [Gerald] Chatman since Jalen will probably be an outside linebacker and a defensive line.”

Are any other programs still in touch? Are any other coaches trying to still sway your son? If so, what schools/coaches?

Gasper: “Tennessee reached out to see what was going on, and I have a good relationship with the Michigan coach. Unless something drastically changes, they know we are all in for Florida.”

Wiggins: “Notre Dame and Stanford have been the two major ones pressing him. Those are schools that academically represent a big-time opportunity for graduating and saying that you are an alum. Those are the main ones that have been reaching out.”

Florida is off to a 2-2 start heading into the bye week. How closely does your family follow the team at this point? What do you think of where UF stands right now?

Gasper: “We follow the team a lot. I am a football guy, so I break down every play and rewind the footage. Regarding their 2-2 record, I always look at the competition, and the other guys are clicking. From a Florida perspective, some work still needs to be done. You’ve got to solidify your starters and see who will give you your best chance to win games. My son has always prided himself on working on a rebuilding team rather than attending a dominant school. He will push himself in the running back room because we are not coming there to sit out the first year.”

Wiggins: “We are a Gator family, so we have been following them already, but since he has been a recruit, we went to the Miami and UCF games. We have been hoping for the best and that this bye week was best for them. They are talented but are missing some aspects of their play.”

You obviously can’t get on social media, read a paper, listen to sports radio, and not hear the whispers (or actually yelling) about Napier’s issues with the fanbase. How does your son and family handle that? Obviously, you have no control over it, what happens if there is a change?

Gasper: “It’s something we will look at to see who they would bring in as a coach. Hopefully, we could sit down with the new coach and see what the offense would look like. I could also sit with the running back coach to see how my son thinks he could play for them. We love Coach Napier and his coaching staff, but if something were to change, we would need to evaluate to ensure we aren’t in a bad situation for [Chad] to grow and develop.”

Wiggins: “From the standpoint of Coach Napier, he is a Florida coach, and we are trying to support him as such. People from the fanbase wish he were gone, and I never want Florida to lose, and I want him to succeed as much as possible. I hope things get better, not just for him but also for the staff and the players he has gotten close with. Especially Kamran James, LJ McCray, TJ Searcy, Tyreak Sapp, and all those guys.”

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