TAMPA — In front of friends and family, Tampa Catholic High offensive lineman Chaz Green made his college intentions known by ‘Gator chomping.’
Green signed his letter of intent to play at Florida at a ceremony at his high school, becoming the 28th and last member of the Gators’ 2010 class.
At 6-foot-6, 290 pounds, Florida is getting an impact lineman who can’t wait to arrive in The Swamp.
“I’m looking forward to running onto the field on game day,” Green said. “I’m ready to come in and work hard.”
Green has always been known for his attributes off the field but needs to improve in certain areas to succeed at the next level.
“The Gators are getting a great player, with a great work ethic, and great natural ability,” Green’s high school coach, Bob Henriquez, said. “He needs to get stronger, he’s a great pure athlete, and he has to learn how to really play the position. Right now, I think his pass blocking is a little ahead of his run blocking ability, but going up against bigger stronger guys in practice is going to help him get better.”
Henriquez remembers Green as a 6-foot-5 junior, whose main sport was basketball. He had just transferred from Palm Harbor High where he played defensive end and tight end.
“When I first met Chad he was about 260 and had a deep basketball background,” Henriquez said. “He came to me and asked ‘Coach what position do you think I should be playing?’ I responded by saying ‘Chaz, if you play your cards right you can be playing offensive tackle on Sundays,’ and he gave me a look that showed me he had a little doubt.”
Henriquez then assured Green of his potential.
“I said ‘Chaz, let’s be realistic,’” Henriquez said. “I told him he’d be 290 (pounds) by spring of his junior year. He came back from Christmas break and we were having a workout and I asked him how much he weighed. He said 290. The rest is history.
“And since then, with all of his athletic ability, he’s been so determined to get better everyday. ”
Green, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com, had offers from USC, Tennessee and Ohio State before he ultimately chose Florida.
Also highlighting Tampa Catholic’s signings was Green’s teammate Christian Green. The four-star athlete had Florida in his top-three schools, according to Rivals.com, but went with FSU.
