Central Florida commit sets up visits

Garrett Faircloth (OT, Jacksonville, FL) - The 6' 7", 265 pound offensive lineman out of The Bolles School believes offensive tackle is his best suited position for the next level.

"I think so because the colleges tell me I have the length of an offensive tackle. My arms are as long as somebody who is 7' 1", and being 6' 7" does not hurt either," stated Garrett Faircloth. "I also have pretty good footwork to handle the edge."

Garrett had a very successful senior season.

"We went 11-1. We had a good year. I played really good. I graded out over 90%. I hate it that we got beat in the playoffs after going undefeated in the regular season. We really thought we were going to win it all, but that is football."

Just playing football this year felt good.

"I missed my junior season because of a torn ACL."

How has the knee held up?

"Well, I tore it at the Down and Dirty camp. I went to rehab it, and they released me two months early, so it went really good. I was looking forward to my senior season. I am not quite back to my old weight, which was 280, but I have worked really hard to be where I am. I have not had any problems with my knee. In fact, it feels stronger than ever before."

Garrett also started on the defensive line and had a very good year for The Bolles School.

"I was the second leading tackler on our team (with 80), but I made All-District at offensive tackle, which was kind of weird."

Faircloth committed to Central Florida earlier on in the season but is still hearing from four schools.

"I am mainly hearing from Central Florida, Ole Miss, FSU, and Vandy. They call me pretty much every week."

Garrett took in an official visit to Vandy on December 15th and has two more visits in concrete and tentative plans for another.

"I am going to Central Florida on January 12th, Ole Miss on January 19th, and FSU probably on January 25th, the last weekend in January. I am pretty packed."

The Rebels have one connection to Faircloth that hits at home.

"My sister goes to school at Ole Miss. She plays softball for them. I know how everything works down there. I have been down there a bunch of times. It has great southern tradition. I know a lot about Ole Miss. I feel real comfortable when I am down there visiting my sister."

What about the new staff at Ole Miss?

"We have a pretty good relationship. I get along with Coaches (Joel) Rodriquez, (Houston) Nutt, and (Mike) Markuson. They call call me a lot. Coach Markuson is a real challenging coach. I like that. I can tell they really want me. I like where I stand with Ole Miss."

Garrett had a chance to visit Vandy in December and came away impressed.

"I took my visit up there, and they have a great academic school. That is what stands out to me about Vandy. They are a Top 25 academic school. That is huge. My former teammate, Ryan VanRensvurg, he took my around and showed me Nashville and how it was. It was a good visit."

What about the Vandy staff?

"They have been pretty good. They kind of came in on me later than everybody else, but they said they needed some OL because they have a lot that are graduating, so that is good."

And FSU?

"The first time I heard from them was when Dexter Carter visited The Bolles in the midseason when they were playing down here for the Alabama game that was held in Jacksonville. He saw me in the weight room and took me to the side. Coach Trickett, their OL coach, called me like the next week. He is a tough guy to play for but I like the challenge. He is noted to be one of the toughest offensive line coaches in the nation. That is a pretty big deal. He calls me a couple of times a week to check up on me. We have a pretty good relationship."

Central Florida was the first school to recruit Faircloth and that has paid dividends.

"They are probably my strongest relationship out of all of the coaches. They came on me early, earlier than the rest of the schools. I am still committed to Central Florida. What got me on them was that I got injured at their camp, and they still kept my scholarship. That showed me loyalty. See, FSU wanted to see how my knee was going to hold up. When it did hold up, they really wanted me. But Central Florida was there for me from the start and showed me loyalty. They also have their program going in the right direction."

Which colleges have given Faircloth a written scholarship?

"Central Florida, Ole Miss, Vandy, and Memphis."

Anymore schools pushing for an official visit?

"Memphis has been wanting to get me in for an official visit, but I have not decided."

Garrett reports a 2.9 Core GPA / 910 SAT.