Bostic announces for UF in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO – Four other schools tried to land Jon Bostic but Florida won the recruiting battle for the four-star linebacker from Wellington (Fla.) Palm Beach Central and he's a huge addition to the Gators' class.
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Bostic kept quiet all week here at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and gave little indication which school would win out for his services but the speculation was that Florida was the team to beat for a while.
On Friday, he was expected to meet with his father to review all the schools but it was considered something of a formality since it was believed that Florida was his top school heading into this week. That turned out to be the case Saturday as he picked the Gators instead of Miami, LSU, Florida State or Clemson.
"It's going to be the place where my family and I feel comfortable," Bostic said in mid-December. "I'm not making a decision just for myself. It has to be the best fit for my whole family… I have the size to play inside or the strong side, but I feel like I'm best coming off the weak side where there's no tight end. I can also drop into coverage when needed."
Rivals.com rates Bostic, a 6-foot-1, 218-pound prospect, as the fifth-best inside linebacker nationally, the No. 7 recruit in the Florida top 100 and No. 68 in the Rivals 100. He finished an English class this week and will be an early enrollee in Gainesville.
Bostic is the first linebacker in Florida's class but might not be the final one. East teammate Jarvis Jones, from Columbus (Ga.) Carver, has the Gators among his five final programs and five-star linebacker Jelani Jenkins has Florida high on his list as well. Miami Gulliver Prep's Frankie Telfort also has UF in the picture.
The only inside linebackers rated higher by Rivals.com are Manti Te'o, Southern Cal commit Vontaze Burfict, Ohio State pledge Dorian Bell and Alabama commit Nico Johnson. Burfict, Bell and Johnson are at the Army game as well.
Bostic is a big get for Florida, which might lose middle linebacker Brandon Spikes early to the NFL. The Palm Beach Central prospect was one of the top performers at Florida's Friday Night Lights and Florida State's Seminole Showtime camps. He was also a top recruit at the Gainesville Nike Camp in the spring.