Texas TE chooses Gators

Three-star Longview (Tex.) tight end Tate Casey pulled the trigger on his college decision on his official visit to Florida this weekend.

“I’m sitting down here in the airport trying to get home,” Casey said. “We’re a little bit delayed in getting out of here, but I’m really happy right now. I went ahead and made my commitment, got the monkey off my back.”

So what were the key factors in choosing the Gators?

“Really, the playing time that’s available, the facilities down there, and definitely the coaching staff,” he said. “I also liked the atmosphere down there a lot more than the other places I was looking at. I pretty much picked them over UCLA. I liked the smaller city feel a lot better than L.A. It fits me better.”

Casey (6-7, 225, 4.7) had also been considering Arizona, Arkansas and LSU. He had visits scheduled for the rest of the month with the Razorbacks and Tigers, but will no longer take those.

He is rated the No. 14 tight end in the nation by Rivals.com.