The Florida Gators must sign a few linebackers in the class of 2016 and on Thursday they visited a top target in Florida State JUCO linebacker commit Tyree Horton (6-1, 225, Highland, KS Highland C.C.).

“Everything went good with coach [Randy] Shannon today [Thursday] when he came by,” Horton said. “He wasn’t telling me too much because he isn’t supposed to talk to me but he did talk to my coach some.”

Shannon recruited Horton out of South Dade High School, so Thursday was more of reconnecting, but it was a good visit according to the linebacker.

“When I first saw him today, it was like the same coach Shannon that came to see me in high school,” Horton said. “He told me that I had gotten bigger and that I had good size on me. I had a good impression of him and he had a good one of me. It’s always nice to him.”

The Florida State commit is building a solid relationship with Shannon and it’s the conversations the two have that have help build it.

“Coach Shannon grew up from down where I did so it’s easy to talk to him,” Horton said. “He knows everything that I need to do and he knows what I need to get done and knows what needs to happen. We have a good relationship because we can talk about everything.”

Shannon wasn’t able to talk to Horton on Thursday due to the NCAA rules but the two have plenty of conversations over the phone.

“I talk to him a good bit,” Horton said. “He always tells me about the whole Florida team and what is going on that week in practice. We usually just have a topic for the week but he says that he sees me coming in and making plays. He said he needs some good like me there.”

There is no doubt that Shannon is leading Horton’s recruitment but defensive coordinator Geoff Collins and head coach Jim McElwain are also getting in on the conversations.

“Me, Coach Collins and Coach McElwain talk on Twitter some too,” Horton said. “They just tell me that they want me to be a Gator and they want me to come down there and meet everyone.”

Since Horton is in JUCO he isn’t able to take visits this spring but that will all change this summer and he has a few schools in mind.

“I’m not sure when I’m going to visit Florida but I can start taking official visits at the end of May,” Horton said. “I’m thinking about taking officials to Florida, Auburn, Oklahoma and TCU. I’m going to for sure take an official to Florida State.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Horton and Shannon have built a good relationship with each other and the Gators are sitting in good shape despite Horton still being a verbal to Florida State. C.J. Worton is also doing a good job of recruiting Horton right now for Florida.