Three-star running back Tyrek Tisdale (Orlando, FL) announced Friday on Twitter that he has verbally committed to the Florida Gators.

“I’ve Officially Committed To The University of Florida,” he wrote.

Tisdale (6-foot-1, 199 pounds) received an offer from Florida on March 1, took part in the Gators’ Junior Day two weeks ago and returned to Gainesville last weekend for an unofficial visit. He was also on campus Friday to watch spring practice.



The short but obviously sweet courtship resulted in him committing to the program over offers from Cincinnati and Illinois, among others.

A student at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Tisdale currently plays for Elijah Williams, the school’s head football coach and a former Florida running back (1994-97) under Steve Spurrier who led the team in rushing yardage in 1995 and 1996.

Though Tisdale is currently a rusher himself, it was Gators’ defensive coordinator Geoff Collins who celebrated the prospect’s commitment on Twitter. The player himself tagged a pair of Florida secondary commitments in his own announcement, leading to speculation that he may be moved to defensive back once he gets on campus.

Tisdale is the Gators’ eighth commitment for the 2016 cycle and the fifth to verbally pledge to join the program this month. All but one of Florida’s eight commitments are rated as three-star prospects, according to the 247Sports Composite.