Florida DL commit breaks down reasons for Clemson visit

Sorrells will be back on campus for the game against FSU

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Fri Oct 20 07:01:03 GMT-04:00 2017

Jaquaze Sorrells has been committed to Florida for nearly two years, but just like any highly recruited player, he wants to enjoy the process as much as possible and that means taking visits to other top schools.

The 20th-ranked player in the ESPN Jr. 300 and Largo (FL) defensive end has scheduled visits to Florida State, Clemson, Alabama, and Michigan.

The last time Sorrells was on Clemson’s campus was in July and after listening to defensive line coach Todd Bates, the 2019 prospect couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of Death Valley and the Tigers’ game day atmosphere.

“Just to get a feel for the atmosphere. When I took my visit, Coach Bates was just letting me know that everything I experienced at Clemson was not going to be as much fun as the atmosphere would be on game day, so I wanted to get back to see what that's like,” Sorrells told TigerNet earlier this week. “I feel like the FSU game would be a good game for me to come and watch. I just want to feel the atmosphere and get a feel for Clemson football.”

The 6-3, 256-pounder said he talks to Coach Bates occasionally but that his mailbox is constantly filled with orange and purple mail.

“I talk to Coach Bates here and there, but other than that I just get a lot of mail from Clemson,” Sorrells said. “It's not really anything that stands out to me, but just getting mail from Clemson, in general, is something special - along with any other university. I don't really talk to many coaches like that, but I get mail from them almost every day.”

Clemson’s highly rated defense and the way defensive coordinator Brent Venables uses his defensive lineman quickly caught Sorrells’ attention.

“That's a good question because there are a lot of things that stand out about Clemson, but I would say the thing that stands out about Clemson is that 'Best is the Standard’,” he said.

“I always look back and watch film of every college that I have offers from just to see the formation of the defense and how they run it because that's a big key for me. I know Florida, their defense is very similar to what I'm doing in high school. I know Coach Venables and their defense, those boys are headhunters. Coach Venables lets the d-line hunt like they're supposed to. I really like their defense and I feel like I could play a big part in it.”

In addition to Florida and Clemson, Sorrells claims offers from Kentucky, Michigan, Purdue and Virginia Tech, and while there’s a long way to go before National Signing Day 2019, he said he just wants to enjoy the process.

“At this point, I'm just enjoying it, honestly,” he said. “Even though I've been committed to Florida for almost two years now, I just feel like I should be enjoying the process. I just want to get a feel for every university and their atmosphere. I want to listen to what the coaches have to say. I'm being a big baby to the recruiting process and just enjoying it.”

Sorrells said he worked extremely hard over the offseason to perfect his craft and improve his conditioning so he never has to come off the fie

“I know how to use my hands very well. Going into this season, the thing I really tried to work on the most is my stamina - basically being able to fight as long as I can,” he said. “If we played 70 snaps on defense, I probably played 60-65 of those. Basically, I'm wanting to hold my ground in the trenches for as long as I can. I'm a competitor.”