After receiving an offer from the Florida Gators this past weekend, it didn’t take long for Hutchinson (KS) C.C. defensive lineman Tarvorise Brown to decide he wanted to be a Gator. After visiting for the first time this past weekend, Brown returned to Gainesville on Monday and stayed until Wednesday.
During his latest visit, things went so well that he decided to stay with the program. As a full qualifier out of high school before heading the JUCO route, Brown will join the Florida program now as a late addition to the 2024 class. He will start his career in Gainesville as a preferred walk-on this coming season due to UF’s tight numbers, with the opportunity to earn a scholarship at the start of next year.
“I never thought it would be a moment like this where I get offered by a team that I’ve seen on television,” Brown said this past weekend. “It’s just a blessing to come here.”
Florida had already been looking into Brown, who redshirted at Hutchinson last season. When they got to size him up in person and spend some time with him, there was a lot the staff liked about him.
“They say I am a real humble guy, I got a story. They really like my height and my wingspan. They think they can just use me, and I can be that guy at defensive tackle,” Brown said.
These traits have caught the Gators’ attention, and they’ve been pleased with what they’ve seen during their evaluations.
“They are trying to teach me all the things that I’m learning in JUCO. They said if I can just transfer that here, it’s the same things they are doing here. It’s surprising to them that I am doing it there. They said they could just get me right now and be able to learn the same thing,” Brown explained.
Brown is still classified as a 2025 prospect by 247Sports, with a year left at Hutchinson. As a full qualifier, he had the choice of travelling to Florida now rather than competing in the next JUCO season. The Gators have been impressed by his size, which stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 290 pounds. Florida has already added more than two dozen players to its roster this offseason, and Brown is the most recent addition as the team begins Fall camp. The Gators have already added numerous newcomers to the roster in the preferred walk-on role owing to their numbers, and all of them will have the option to earn a scholarship at the beginning of next year once the numbers are a lot more flexible.