The members of UF's 2010 recruiting class have been like a long-distance family, texting and calling each other weekly.
The class' newest addition is used to that.
Jordan Haden orally committed to the Gators on Monday, becoming the 11th member of the class. If that name sounds familiar, it's because he is the younger brother of current UF cornerback Joe Haden.
"Me being here, I think, influenced him, just telling him the inside scoop about the school, not just what the coaches and what the recruiting people are telling him," Joe said. "(Jordan) has his brother, somebody that cares a lot more about him, who can tell him what's real."
Jordan, a safety from Ft. Washington Friendly High, knew he wanted to play for UF even before Joe committed to the Gators. He said he gave other schools a chance so he could see what they had to offer, but ultimately he was Gainesville-bound.
"A lot of people visit a school and only see that little bit, they only see the good things. But when I go to Florida, I have a brother there that tells me everything," Jordan said.
Jordan comes to Gainesville with realistic expectations, knowing he will have to compete for playing time. UF is stocked with safeties.
When Jordan steps foot on campus in 2010, the team will be two-deep at the position, assuming nobody declares early for the NFL Draft. Ahmad Black talked with Jordan over the weekend while he was in town for UF's Orange and Blue Game and encouraged him not to fret about the depth chart.
"(Black) stopped to think for a minute and was like, 'Damn man, as long as you continue to ball, that's going to make them work hard,'" Jordan said.
Joe will be eligible to declare for the NFL Draft after next season. A player's draft stock depends on a multitude of variables, so it is unclear whether Joe will declare early at this point, but an early declaration by Joe would mean he would miss a chance to play with his younger brother.
"I would definitely enjoy playing with him," Joe said. "Just like high school. Just like little leagues because when he was younger, he always played up to play on me and Josh's team. It'd be just like old times."
With Jordan's commitment, coach Urban Meyer is now 2 for 3 in recruiting Hadens. Josh, the brother between Joe and Jordan, declined a UF scholarship offer so he could play running back for Boston College. Both Joe and Jordan supported Josh's decision and insist they would never pressure each other into going to schools they didn't like.
"If UF didn't get Jordan, I wouldn't try to get him to come here," Joe said. "Josh is not the UF-style running back, so I would never try to get my brother to come."
Even without getting Josh to commit, Meyer has a well-established relationship with the Haden family. When Joe visited Gainesville as a recruit, the whole family met Meyer in his office. Jordan - then a high school freshman - let Meyer know which school was his favorite.
"I always liked Florida, so I would play around," Jordan said. "I would say, 'I'm going to go grab my jersey.'"
Meyer might want to reserve a couple more uniforms: Jonathan Haden is in ninth grade and Jacob is in seventh.
GERALD CHRISTIAN BECOMES COMMITMENT NO. 12: Hours after Jordan announced he was coming to UF, the Gators received their 12th oral commitment in the form of Gerald Christian. Like Haden, Christian has ties to UF.
Christian, a tight end from West Palm Beach William T. Dwyer High, is the teammate of fellow future-Gator Matt Elam.
"I wanted to go to a school with one of my teammates. I know I can't base it off just that, but it did help some," Christian said. "Matt was my biggest recruiter, to tell you the truth. He was telling me like every game I needed to go to Florida with him."
Christian has received offers from most Southeastern Conference teams but chose UF because he liked the team's strong fan base and The Swamp's atmosphere when he visited during last season's game against Miami.
He said he knew UF was the school for him after attending a team practice last week. UF wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales took Christian and his mom, Mary Brown, on a tour of the campus and the dorms and talked to them about the team's tutoring system.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound tight end has the opportunity to watch players similar to him in UF's offense.
"(The UF coaches) want me to play like Aaron Hernandez," he said. "They see how big I am and, for my size, how athletic I am."
