Florida doesn’t often dip into the D.C., Maryland, Virginia tri-state area for football recruits, but when they do it is normally for one of the more coveted prospects in his class.
With roughly a year until the Class of 2021 will put pen to paper in the early signing period, there’s sure to be plenty of commitment shakeups sure to come.
However, Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances Academy cornerback Clinton Burton Jr. says he is 100% a Gator.
“Easy! I grew up a Florida fan, so it wasn’t really hard,” Burton replied when asked about his four-months-long commitment. “They show, like, a lot of love, and we still talk every day. So, easy money.”
In a process where strong relationships are typically the deciding factor for a prospect choosing among top-tier programs, a player finding a coach who believed in him before the stars is essential. Burton’s familiarity with cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray played a large role in his commitment.
“Coach Gray was at [Virginia] Tech, and he coached my trainer now, so I already know Coach Gray’s drills, how Coach Gray is, and I’m ready to work.”
Gray’s NFL resume and his immediate success in helping Kaiir Elam post the lowest catch rate in the country among true freshman defensive backs also didn’t go unnoticed by the four-star.
“Florida’s defense… Defense is crazy. D-B-U! You know how we do,” Burton emphasized.
However, the competitive class headliner also offered some input for how the next group of Gators can push the team into elite defensive territory.
“Definitely gotta play better in the bigger games. It’s gonna be better as time goes on,” he promised.
That competitive spirit embodies the Gator Standard and relentless effort that Florida’s staff continues to instill in its players. Luckily for the staff, Burton and fellow 2021 defensive back commit Kamar Wilcoxson are already in the phase where they’re pushing themselves to improve by encouraging each other to be better than the other.
Burton attends school in Maryland and Wilcoxson will transfer to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy from his native Georgia. Burton said being up the coast from his teammate is no excuse not to check on him.
“Me and Kamar talk every day. We grind every day. Every time we got workouts, we text each other,” he said. “We real competitive with the training. So, like, if one of us will miss a day of workouts, we’re like ‘Yeah I bet you ain’t work out today.’ It’s cool. It’s a nice experience.”
He is the No. 163 rated prospect in the nation according to the 247 Sports Composite.
Burton is still drawing interest from schools like Alabama and Clemson, but the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder ended the interview with this: “Go Gators!”