Tedarrell Slaton to Florida: Gators Land 5-Star OG Prospect

Tedarrell Slaton has looked ready for college football since his sophomore year of high school. Now, we know where he'll be proving his worth.The 5-staroffensive guard gave his verbal commitment to Floridaon Wednesday, per Derek Tyson of ESPN.com Listed at 6'4 " and 341 pounds, the hulking guard is rankedNo. 32overallandsecondamong players at his position, perScout.com."I'm looking for a school that's laid back, but when it's time to play, we play," Slaton said in 2016, perChuck Kingsburyof SEC Country. "The players are always ready no matter what the case is. You can be walking on the street and they'll be like, 'Oh, you want to play football in the street'' and they take it so seriously. It's time to play."Slaton had named Michigan his leaderearly in the process, with LSU and Florida State also receiving buzz, per 247Sports' Ryan Bartow. Florida was actually the front-runner in247Sports' crystal ball predictions despite Slaton's public admiration for Michigan. His mother's desire also swung things in Florida's direction."My mom doesn't want to see me go out of state because she wants to see me play," Slaton said, per Josh Helmholdt of Rivals. "It's that, and it's cold everywhere else. It's not cold in Florida."Slaton hails fromAmerican Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, so it's easy to see the through line. Florida is one of the nation's pre-eminent programs, it was in early on Slaton with an offer, and it is in close proximity."Here, my coaches [at American Heritage], they handle things a different way. They handle each kid differently. They never do the same thing with different kids," Slaton toldSanjay Kirpalaniof Bleacher Report. "When its game time, they stay calm. They know how to approach things in a way that relates to the entire team.That's what I'm looking for at the next level."Florida wound up landing a potential star in the process. Slaton already has the look of an NFL lineman, complete with a big frame and mauling mentality. He'll need to reshape his body and make it a bit leaner, but that will come as he gets into a more stringent workout routine."TJ's biggest upside is that his laziest days are a lot of people's best days," his high school coach, Mike Rumph, said in December 2014, perManny Navarroof theMiami Herald. "He can go halfway, half motion and probably handle some of the best defensive linemen in the state. The beauty of it is he lines up every play and plays the heck out of it."As a prospect, there aren't many holes to poke inSlaton's game. He's big, strong and quick for a player of his size. As long as his weight doesn't become an issue, Slaton should transition instantly to SECfootball.
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