Tate choosing from final seven

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Four-star wide receiver Auden Tate of Tampa Wharton said he's known for weeks which school he'll attend. Now he knows the day he'll announce his decision -- Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Tate, who stands at 6-foot-4, 199 pounds and is the No. 22-ranked receiver in the country, will hold a press conference at the Wharton library, either at noon or 1 p.m. EST. His finalists are Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan, Maryland and USF.

Tate said he's already informed his school of choice.

"They were excited about it," he said. "They were telling me it was a pleasure and they're ready for me to get there."

Florida State offered Tate following his spring game and he's being recruited by head coach Jimbo Fisher and assistants Lawrence Dawsey and Tim Brewster. He's visited the school twice, including just a day ago.

"The coaches are cool," he said. "I like talking to them. I like how they spread the ball around. They had two receivers with over 1,000 yards and another one close to 1,000. (Derwin James) has been recruiting me a lot. He said, 'Come to Tallahassee, ball out and win another national championship.'"

The Gators offered in March, with assistants Joker Phillips and Derek Lewis recruiting him. Tate visited Gainesville once for the Gators' spring game.

"I like the atmosphere," he said. "It was just a spring game, but it felt like a regular game. The atmosphere was crazy and the fans were crazy. I saw how they changed the offense to more of a spread and they'll be throwing the ball more, so that's good for a receiver like me. They said they'd use me as a matchup-type receiver and move me around a lot."

Georgia offered after Tate's spring game and Bryan McClendon and John Lilly are recruiting him. He has yet to visit Athens, but talks to current Bulldogs linebacker Ramik Wilson.

"He tells me it's a great place," Tate said of Wilson. "He said it looks like the receiver position is up for grabs besides Malcolm Mitchell, so I could come in an fight for a starting spot."

Tate grew up in South Carolina, living there until his freshman year. He took notice of how fellow South Carolina native and receiver A.J. Green ended up in Athens, having a successful college career that led him to the NFL.

"I liked that," he said. "They put a lot of good players in the NFL. They have an NFL-style offense with a lot of NFL plays."

Clemson offered in January, with Tigers assistants Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott recruiting him. He's never visited Clemson, but talks to current Tiger Artavis Scott and 2015 commits Deon Cain and Ray-Ray McCloud III.

"They say come here and build that Tampa pipeline," Tate said of Cain and McCloud. "I like what they've done in the past years with wide receivers. They're good at finding different ways to get them the ball."

Michigan was Tate's favorite team growing up as a kid. The Wolverines offered in February, with assistant Jeff Hecklinski in charge of his recruitment. In addition to Michigan being his childhood team, he struck up a friendship with 2015 quarterback and Wolverines commit Alex Malzone, whom Tate met at The Opening.

"He's a real cool dude," Tate said. "We text a lot. He says to come there and we can be roommates, be a 1-2 punch."

Maryland offered right before Tate's spring game, with Terrapins assistant Mike Locksley recruiting him. Tate took a visit there in June and keeps in touch with current Terrapins receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long.

"I liked it a lot and felt real comfortable while I was there," Tate said. "It was a family atmosphere. And I like their offense. Coach Locksley said they'd do a good job of getting the ball around and get it in everyone's hands."

USF, the hometown school, was one of the first to offer Tate in October. He's been there three times and knows a lot of people who attend there both in the program and outside of it. Bulls assistant Ron Dugans is recruiting him.

"They were one of the first to offer me a scholarship, so I respect them a lot for that," Tate said. "I like coach Dugans a lot - he knows a lot about football and he knows what he's talking about. It's close to home, so I wouldn't have to worry about being too far from family."

Tate said he has two official visits penciled in already - Florida State and Michigan. He plans on attending the Seminoles' regular season finale against Florida on Nov. 29. He'll be in Michigan for either the Penn State (Oct. 11) or Maryland (Nov. 22) game.

He's still mulling over other visits -- official or otherwise -- and named Clemson at Georgia (Aug. 30) and Maryland at USF (Sept. 6) as likely possibilities.

As for reaching his decision, Tate said he's relieved.

"The recruiting process was fun," he said. "But at times it was overwhelming with a lot of coaches hitting you up and feeling like you have to lean toward each one. But it was fun at the same time and I enjoyed it because you only go through it once.

"I'm excited to make my decision and focus on my senior year."

Adam Krohn is a Southeast Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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