I had a chance to catch up with monster offensive lineman Trip Thurman (6-6, 310, Dover, Del./Dover) after Florida's Friday Night Lights event in Gainesville this past weekend. After making the trip down to the Sunshine State on Thursday, Thurman went ahead with a long-expected public commitment to the Gators. Despite his deep ties to the University of Tennessee football program, there is no looking back for Thurman at this point, as he seems to be at peace with his decision to work under offensive line coach Steve Addazio for the next few years.
First off, let me just say that while many times the heights and weights of a prospect tend to be exaggerated, that is NOT the case at all with Thurman. He is simply enormous, and absolutely looks the part of how a Florida offensive lineman should be proportioned. I was a little surprised by just how big Thurman actually is, even though I had a chance to see him in person at a spring practice at Florida earlier in the year. He's pretty well put-together too. A lot of guys who weigh over 300 pounds at the high school tend to be a bit sloppy. Not Thurman. He looks like a guy who could take the field at the college level right now and hold his own (not to say he actually could, I have never seen him play, but I think you get my point...)
"The Swamp is the place to be when the lights come on," Thurman said of Florida. "I feel like have a big monkey off of my shoulders. I wanted to get this done before the season so I can just focus on that and keeping my grades up."
Even despite the family connections to the University of Tennessee, Thurman's parents were 100 percent behind his decision to go to Florida. Thurman himself said the decision was possible, in part, because of the business-like attitude he took towards his recruitment when schools started showing interest in him as a junior.
"I was a big Vols fan growing up," he said of his college allegiance growing up. "But when the recruiting process started, I didn't have aspirations of going to any one particular school."
However, it wasn't until a strong performance at a session of the Urban Meyer Football Camp in Gainesville last month that Florida became the odds-on favorite to land his commitment.
"In Delaware, you don't get much competition," Thurman noted of the landscape of high school football in his home state. "In camp (at Florida last month), I came down and I proved myself to (Coach Addazio)."
Although it's not entirely clear yet where exactly Thurman will line up, it's clear that with his size, he will have an excellent shot at finding his way onto the field for the Gators.
"They want me to play tackle," he said of the position he will play for Florida. "I'm not sure if it's right or left yet. I guess I'll find out when I get to work down here."
Regardless, if there is any concern of a possible commitment flip back to Tennessee down the stretch, there doesn't seem to be much indication on the part of Thurman that there is even a slight possibility that could happen.
"Knowing the situation that happened up at Tennessee, I think I can develop a strong hatred of that program," he said with a laugh.
Spoken just like a future Florida Gators, who will see some of his toughest battles against the Vols each September to open up play in the Southeastern Conference.
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