For more than a month, Clearwater Central Catholic defensive lineman Justus Reed had his mind set on going to Florida.
On Thursday, he made it official.
Reed, a senior, announced his commitment to the Gators via Twitter.
“I just felt like the time was right,” Reed said. “I talked to my family and this was a good time to do it. I’ve always been a fan of Florida, and it was big to me once I got that offer.”
Reed, who transferred from Clearwater in the spring, is rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports. He had offers from 25 schools, including Florida State, North Carolina and Ohio State.
Reed’s dad, John Reed, played for the Tar Heels. Justus said North Carolina was among the schools he was considering and he visited the campus last month.
“I liked my visit (to North Carolina),” Reed said. “But my offer to Florida came just a few days before that trip, and that was still in the back of my mind the whole time. At the end of the day, I just knew Florida was the school for me, and I didn’t feel there was a need to wait any longer.”