Florida signee Keivonnis Davis wasn't part of the Gators' first few fall practices late last week, sparking some speculation that the player whose enrollment was at least delayed from Summer B to a fall term wouldn't make it into the University of Florida at all.
On Saturday, though, Davis arrived in Gainesville — and on Saturday night, Florida's official Twitter account welcomed him to the team.
Good news! Keivonnis Davis has been cleared to play for the #Gators! He's with the team tonight and will be on the practice field tomorrow.
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 8, 2015
Davis was rated a three-star player, and had been off most recruiting radars thanks largely to his grades before being hotly pursued late in the recruiting process — Florida snagged him after he decommitted from Oregon State, and he only committed to Oregon State in January after previously committing to (in November) and decommitting from Syracuse (in January) — but he's got the potential to be a force off the edge as a defensive end.
His late arrival likely scuttles his chances of seeing the field as a true freshman — he's missed six weeks of intensive strength training, significantly more important for a true freshman than a few practices — but that he showed up at all is a great sign for Florida, which now seems as though it might ultimately land all of the prospects from its 2015 class (if D'Anfernee McGriff remains a Gator after prep school) after three hiccups in June.
Florida director of player personnel Drew Hughes hinted at some of the hard work done by Davis to rectify his academic situation on Saturday:
Hard work pays off! Proud of you @keivonnis https://t.co/dHecnrI4xS
— Drew Hughes (@dhughes234) August 9, 2015
Davis, for his part, was slightly more succinct: In a tweet sent Saturday morning from his protected account, he simply said "Extremely blessed"; in another, sent Saturday night, he added "Gator nation wassup..."