New Jersey ATH to visit Florida

Those who follow recruiting in New Jersey and the surrounding states have had their eye on Damiere Byrd for a good while now.

It now seems as though Byrd is no longer just a regional recruit, as schools from across the country are interested and putting offers on the table.

To be precise, 13 schools have extended offers to the 5-foot-9, 160-pound athlete from Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek. That includes schools from the SEC, ACC, Big East and Big Ten, among other leagues.

Soon Byrd will be taking a visit to a school in the SEC that is one of the giants of the sport.

"Next month I'm going to be at Florida for just a regular (unofficial) visit," Byrd explained.

"I've been talking to coach (Chuck) Heater and coach (Steve) Addazio. We talk at least once a week so I've been talking to them a good amount. Our relationship is getting stronger."

Florida isn't the only school that Byrd will be checking out in the coming weeks. Over the summer he plans on making trips to West Virginia, Cincinnati and Louisville. He is also planning on taking at least some of his official visits before he makes his decision, but he isn't sure where those trips will be to yet.

Byrd went on to say he has not eliminated any of the schools on his list. He does know, however, what some of his criteria will be when he's making his choice.

"How the coaches interact with their players," he said. "That and just me being able to get along with my position coach."

So far Byrd has taken visits to South Carolina, Rutgers, Maryland and Michigan.