Gators willing to fight to the end to flip Auburn OT commit Tavaris Dice

FAIRBURN, GEORGIA — Flipping 4-star offensive tackle Tavaris Dice of Langston Hughes High from Auburn will not be easy, but if one program is positioned to make the Tigers work to keep him it’s probably Florida.

Dice said Friday the Gators are No. 2 in the pecking order as official visit season approaches.

“I am solid with Auburn — I am really solid with Auburn right now, but Florida is still a top contender,” Dice told Gators Online. “I’m pretty solid right now, but one thing Florida told me, Coach ( Jonathan) Decoster , he was down here just a couple days ago — I talk to Coach ( Rob) Sale , too and the head coach texts me and my family in a group chat — Florida told me a little while back when I committed that they would fight until the end and do whatever it takes. They love me and I am at the top of their board.”

Tavaris Dice is one of the top OT recruits in the country

Dice, the No. 15 offensive tackle and No. 193 overall recruit nationally in the On3 Industry Rankings, committed to Auburn over the Gators on March 14. But he visited Florida a couple weeks later, and now plans to return June 14 for an official — the week after his official with the Tigers.

That the Gators haven’t thrown in the proverbial towel has impressed Dice.

“It means a lot because it shows me they care, that I am a pretty solid kid for them,” Dice said. “They still reach out to my family to this day, they let them know everything they feel about me.”

Asked if Florida had a realistic chance to flip him, Dice replied, “Yes, they do. Because, the way they recruit me. I see Coach ( Billy) Napier , he’s making a big impact toward the campus and the program. Going down there they have all of those offensive line coaches and assistants. You’re going to get work and get developed.”

Admittedly, Dice is fond of both programs.

“Every time I go to both places it is a different thing I feel,” Dice said. “When I go to Auburn, I feel like I am at home. When I go to Florida I feel like I am at home, too. This recruitment, it’s been really a hard thing to go through.”

Auburn remains in front … but it’s close

What has given Auburn the edge thus far?

“Really, I don’t even know,” Dice said. “To be honest, I felt better there, I felt at home. … It’s like, when I go to those games, how the staff treats me, how the staff treats my family, whoever I bring down there. It feels like I already go there. Like I am enrolled but just not playing yet. The fans, they reach out on everything, it is just amazing. When I go to Florida, same thing. I go down there, the staff greets me, they open the doors, I know everybody.”

Of Auburn, he added, “Really, I like what is going on with how the offensive line is fixing to operate. You have a left tackle that’s leaving, a left guard, and a right tackle that is leaving. If I go down there and do what I have to do, stay locked in on development, I feel like I can be in there.”

But according to Dice, he also sees a great opportunity in Gainesville.

And in June, the Gators will have another chance to try to close the gap with Auburn.

“I feel like (the visit) is pretty big,” Tavaris Dice said. “I just want them to make sure they let me know everything. One thing about me, I don’t always like to hear the good stuff about me. I want to know the real about everything. I want to know what I can be better at.”

The post Gators willing to fight to the end to flip Auburn OT commit Tavaris Dice appeared first on On3 .