Durable Relationship Aiding Florida Gators Chances to Land DB Devin Moore

At each stop, newly-hired Florida Gators defensive back coach Jules Montinar has stayed in consistent contact with Naples High School prospect Devin Moore. As a result, Montinar hopes his relentless pursuit of Moore pays dividends in the end.

In a process as fickle as recruiting, sometimes it comes down to who you know and how hard you push.

Given the turnover in the Florida Gators secondary following the 2020 season, acquiring backend talent is an imperative step for rebuilding a once-dominant group of athletes.

Just arriving in Gainesville this offseason, the new staff members have looked to rekindle relationships they formed while coaching for their previous programs, with defensive back coach Jules Montinar seemingly benefitting from that strategy early on.

On Tuesday afternoon, Florida got their first opportunity to pitch to prospective athletes on campus. Throughout that day, Montinar set his focus on a defensive back prospect who currently reps his alma mater of Naples High School in Devin Moore.

When asked about his experience visiting Florida, Moore shared excitement to be back in an in-person setting while glowing about the relentless pursuit of Montinar no matter the position or program he has been a part of throughout Moore's recruitment process. 

"It was a great visit. Oh, it was beautiful. I mean, just seeing everything again, seeing the coaches again. Just kind of further developing that relationship with Coach Jules, you know, been developing that with him for a couple years now since he been at USF and Georgia. 

"That's my guy, I really mess with coach Jules. He actually came from my high school. So you know, we've got a very strong and great relationship."

Exemplifying the typical traits of importance that the new-look secondary staff has targeted in recruiting and development of current players since taking over, Moore is a long, rangy and athletic defensive back prospect that can move around however the coaches see fit.

Accounting for 24 tackles, five interceptions and one touchdown on the 2020 season, Moore has seen the majority of his time operating along the outside of the Naples secondary but present the instincts to play at the safety position upon his transition to the next level.

During their time together, time played a factor in limiting their discussions of how Moore would be plugged into the Florida game plan. In their short dialogue about Moore's fit, Montinar "reinstated the fact of how versatile and how long I am, just the potential I have due to my stature and nature," Moore said.

Getting the opportunity to talk with current players currently occupying spots in the Florida secondary, Moore enjoyed his time learning from individuals that have already walked in his shoes. 

"I'm very grateful for that," he said when asked if he was hoping to be able to talk to players. "Because, I mean, learning from somebody who's currently going through it and been through the recruiting process and everything, they're gonna be straight up with you and tell you the truth from experience. So yeah, I was real grateful to talk to Tre [Johnson] and Kaiir [Elam]."

In fact, that proved to be his favorite part of the day. "Those dudes just kind of, I mean, what they're saying, I felt like I was basically the same person as them because they just kind of described the recruiting process and everything that Florida has to offer. So it was really nice."

Continuing with visits to Stanford, Alabama and Notre Dame in the coming weeks — as well as Cincinnati in the fall — Moore views those teams as his unofficial top five going forward.

Set to return to UF at some point "down the road," Moore believes that "anytime is good in the fall" for his return to Florida's campus to officially visit while hinting at the fact it might come when the Gators faces off against Alabama on Septemeber 17. He even mentioned a possible return for a second unofficial visit if he finds the time to do so in his busy schedule.

Operating on a flexible timetable for his final decision, Moore believes he could commit to a school at any time. "I'm not really sure, it can honestly happen at any moment. Just got to talk it out with my family see where their head is too." 

As of now, the familiarity Florida provides with Montinar is viewed to be a large factor for getting him to sport the orange and blue.