Over the last two weeks, the Florida Gators have hosted several of their top targets on campus to watch spring practice and meet with the coaching staff.

One of those visitors was linebacker Kaden Henderson (6-2, 218, Tampa, FL. Jesuit) who loved the energy around the practice and visit.

“It was a great overall visit,” Henderson said of his visit to Florida last week. “I loved just being back for practice in the spring, it was my first spring practice. The energy was poisonous, it was a great atmosphere, I loved it, so I was really happy to be there.”

Henderson was on campus several times last year under the previous staff but he noticed a difference under Jon Sumrall and his staff.

“I think they got after it, it was great intensity,” he said of practice. “I think it was a great overall environment to be in. Just seeing the overall differences from last year to this year, I feel like I can definitely see a whole cultural change. Just seeing how the players are more into practice, I feel like they definitely want to be there and that means a lot. Just seeing how the program’s going to change in the near future.”

While watching practice, Henderson paid close attention to the linebacker group as he wanted to see if he could fit in with those guys.

“Just seeing how Coach Gas [Greg Gasparato] coached up his guys, that was a thing where I wanted to go down and see if I can see myself being coached by him,” Henderson said on watching the linebackers. “He has a lot of intensity, that’s what you want, everything was great. I love the way he teaches.”

After practice was over with, the staff met with Henderson and explained to him that they won’t quit recruiting him until the end.

“The whole staff, like really the whole coaching staff deals with me,” he said on the message from the staff. “Their message is that they really want to start the class with me and build this class up. They said it kind of hurt them when they weren’t in my top five but they’re going to try everything to get me.”

Henderson said this visit helped the Gators because it showed that Sumrall was about more than just football.

“I feel like that’s what you want to see out of a school,” Henderson said on Florida’s response. “Just knowing that a coach doesn’t give up on you, that’s the biggest thing. It just shows overall the culture change of the staff. I think that means a lot.”

Despite the Gators not making his top five, Henderson says that the Gators improved their chances with him during the visit and says the staff is trying their best to get into that top five.

“It’s just time, I just have to keep talking to Coach Gas and the staff,” he said on what Florida needs to do. “He talks to me frequently, he’s probably one of the coaches that hits me up the most. I think what kind of hurt them was just having a whole new staff and that’s nothing they can control. Honestly the overall connection with the entire staff is getting better and I hope to get up one more time and then maybe an OV.”