TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Armwood's Patchan Commits To Florida

Rick Harmon / Tampa Tribune

Armwood lineman Matt Patchan talks to the media at the Club at Tampa Palms after he announced he will attend the University of Florida.

ADVERTISEMENT

By KATHERINE SMITH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 6, 2008

TAMPA - About 45 minutes before announcing to his family, friends and the media what college he selected, Matt Patchan made two phone calls.

The first call the Armwood two-way lineman made went to the University of Miami, and he said no thanks. The second went to University of Florida coach Urban Meyer.

"I said, 'Coach Meyer, I'm excited to tell you I'm going to be a Florida Gator,'" Patchan said. "He screamed and said he was excited. Then he told his wife and they were excited."

Patchan will report to Gainesville in two days. He graduated from Armwood last month and will enroll early at Florida.

Wearing a tuxedo shirt he said his mother made him wear because of the special occasion, the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Patchan stood up in front of the gathered crowd at Club Tampa Palms on Saturday afternoon and thanked his family and coaches, including those at Freedom, where he played before transferring to Armwood last year. Then he said it was time to announce his decision.

"Let me flip a coin," he joked.

It almost came to that. Patchan talked about how torn he was between the two schools. Ultimately, Florida fulfilled Patchan's long list of needs.

"I wanted talent around me," said Patchan, an All-USA Today first-team selection. "I wanted a good relationship with my position coach. I wanted a good strength coach and I wanted to compete for a national championship every year. I think Florida met all of those the best out of any them."

Ranked the nation's No. 11 player on Rivals.com, Patchan began receiving college letters his sophomore year in high school. Those letters turned into phone calls and eventually several meetings with coaches.

"It's been exciting," he said of the process. "You get to sit down with some of the best football minds, some of the best in the business. I got to sit down and talk with Bobby Bowden and some of these guys. The most winningest football coach in Division I history, I'll never forget that."

Armwood coach Sean Callahan predicts good things for Patchan at Florida.

"He clearly has the tools that they're looking for," Callahan said. "He's the most explosive kid I've ever coached."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT