Bauers big day yields Florida offer
On Tuesday morning, the Badgers' interim offensive line coach swung into St. Louis DeSmet High School in an attempt to sell the four-star tackle on the Badgers. Had Miller been able to see a few hours into the future, he probably would have reconsidered. Maybe he would have seen a movie … or the Gateway Arch, instead.
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Just after he wrapped things up with the sought-after 2014 prospect, news of Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema departure for Arkansas broke. Talking about the situation six hours later, Bauer can only shrug.
"It was kind of ironic," he said. "He didn't know anything about it. He was here until 10:30 or so. He went back to get on his flight and he had no inclination at all about it."
A more important recruiting milestone came later in the day, though, when Florida decided to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer for Bauer. It was enough to make him forget about the for-not conversation he had that morning. From that point forward, Bauer's mind was on the Gators.
"I talked to coach (Will) Muschamp on the phone today about the offer," Bauer said. "Tim Davis is my main recruiter, but Coach Muschamp talked to me today. Coach Davis will be at my school later this week."
The list of pros for Florida is not short. Bauer, a former Missouri commit, declined to name official "favorites" in his recruitment but said the Gators belong to a cluster of schools that he says "stand out."
Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Missouri round out the group. For now, though, the Gators are freshest in his mind.
"I like Florida," Bauer said. "Playing in the SEC is a big thing. Academics there are very good. The Swamp … the atmosphere there is pretty remarkable from what I've seen. I haven't bee there yet, but from what I've seen and been told, it's incredible. Plus, offensive line is one of their needs."
Bauer says he hopes to take unofficial visits to LSU, Florida and Oklahoma during the offseason, but does not have dates for those trips as of yet.
"I'm going to talk to the coaches and try to spend a weekend at each of those schools to try to get a better feel for them," he said.
Tuesday's Florida makes 33 total for Bauer, who de-committed from Missouri in late October, saying he "rushed his decision." Bauer says the departure of Tigers offensive coordinator David Yost has no impact on his recruitment, as his relationship with line coach Josh Henson means more to him.
"He's the one that I talk to," Bauer said of Henson. "I'm sorry to see Coach Yost leave, but it's not a big deal."