Nauta talks Vandy, Canes offers
Rising sophomore Buford (Ga.) tight end Isaac Nauta added two more schools to his already impressive offer list on Thursday when both Miami and Vanderbilt stopped by campus.
Nauta, who was one of the top tight ends regardless of age at the Atlanta stop of the Rivals Camp Series, said he's excited and honored to hear from both schools.
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"My coach came and got me from lunch and gave me the chance to talk to coaches from both schools," he said. "They both told me they'd like to offer me a scholarship and shared camp dates and really seemed nice."
Nauta said one thing that jumps out to him about Miami is their history of developing NFL-caliber tight ends.
"I know they've produced guys like Greg Olsen and Kellen Winslow," he said. "I know they have a history of great tight ends. I like Florida and being down in Miami would be a cool place, right down by the beach, I could go deep sea fishing and do stuff like that."
Nauta is also an accomplished defensive end but there's no doubt the 'Canes want him on offense.
"They said they'd like to get the ball in my hands," he said. "They would want me to be a big part of their offense."
As far as the Commodores are concerned, Nauta said the combination of football with quality academics is very appealing.
"They're good academically and that's something I'm going to look for," he said. "There's more than just football and it's great over there."
Playing the SEC is also something that appeals to Nauta and Vanderbilt is on the rise in the nation's best conference.
"They're in the SEC so they're in of the best conferences in football," he said. "That was one of the first things that coach pointed out. Their winning streak in the SEC. They've also been getting some pretty big recruits to go to their school so they're a program on the rise."
One school that hasn't pulled the trigger on an offer yet but has been showing increased interest is the Hurricanes in-state rival Florida State.
"I've called them a few times and they want me to come down to their camp," Nauta said. "They haven't offered but they said it's only a matter of time so we'll see what happens."
Having lived in North Florida as recently as two years ago, Nauta said he knows a lot about the Florida State program.
"We had some close family friends who went to Florida State and one who played their and went onto the NFL," Nauta said. "They're always telling me about how great of school it is and how it would be a good decision to play there so I want to get down and see the campus for sure."
Nauta had a chance to make the relatively short drive north to visit Clemson for it's spring game last month and said he enjoyed the trip.
"I loved it up there" Nauta said. "I talked to Chad Morris, the offensive coordinator and I really like what he was showing me with what they do with the tight ends they have now. Even though they're in the spread they know how get the ball to the tight ends."
Nauta and his family often vacation at nearby Lake Keokee but the spring trip was the first chance he had to see Clemson's campus.
"I love the campus," he said. "It's really laid back and there a good showing attendance-wise at the spring game. It shows that the fan base is really passionate about their program."
Nauta said he's likely to take more trips this summer, with a plan to Michigan already planned. He's also hoping to check out Florida State and potentially Texas.