The Gators almost stole a four-star QB prospect from this ACC powerhouse

Well that was a close call.

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The Florida Gators are in desperate need of a quarterback in its next recruiting class and could have really used one in 2016. It turns out the Gators actually came pretty close to stealing away four-star quarterback Zerrick Cooper from the Clemson Tigers, but couldn't quite complete the flip.

In an interview with SEC Country, Cooper said that Florida was a close second for him and that it was actually the hardest to say no to coach Jim McElwain. There were even rumors circulating that he would decommit from Clemson and go to Florida, but that wasn't the case as he decided that Clemson was the best place for him to go.

Cooper will have to sit a year behind the incredibly talented Deshaun Watson, but should have a chance to compete for the starting QB spot next season and could use a redshirt to keep his eligibility and get bigger during the season so that he's ready to play at the next level.

McElwain tried to sway Cooper with the fact that he could start right away and compete for a spot at QB, but it wasn't quite enough to take him away from the Tigers.

 

[h/t SEC Country]