The Florida Gators recruiting class of 2016 was missing a tight end and now the Gators must sign one in the class of 2017.

Florida may even decide to sign two tight ends and on Monday the Gators offered a raw athlete guy at the position.

Tight end Zech Byrd (6-6, 230, Millbrook, AL Stanhope Elmore) received the offer when he talked to the Gators recruiting coordinator.

“Coach Drew Hughes was the coach that offered me,” Byrd said. “He asked me how I was doing and then said that I have an offer from the University of Florida. I told him thank you and he was telling me to come down and visit them anytime I wanted too.”

When Hughes talked to Byrd on the phone, the Gators recruiting coordinator explained that Florida used the tight ends a lot and Byrd would fit in.

“He said that Florida is looking for someone like me,” Byrd said. “Someone with my size and skill is what they want at tight end. He said that I would be a good fit for them in their offense.”

The Alabama tight end is friends with a Gators signee, but other than that he doesn’t know too much, except that he has a Gators fan in his family.

“I really don’t know too much about Florida, but that’s my dad’s favorite school,” Byrd said. “I’m friends with Jeawon Taylor and he’s going there. He congratulated me while we were working out and kept saying Swamp 2017 and stuff like that.”

Once Byrd picked up the offer from Florida he had to call his father to tell him the good news and his dad was very happy.

“They called me to the main office and my coach told me about the offer,” he said. “When I was walking back to class I had to call my dad and tell him. He was happy and he said that he was proud of me. We are both going to be happy to visit, but he will like it a lot.”

Byrd is a prospect that is just now getting discovered by a lot of teams and that’s keeping Byrd waiting on more.

“I’m still evaluating all of my options and waiting to see who all else offers me,” he said. “I do plan on visiting Florida, but it just depends on when my mom and dad can take me down there.

INSIDERS TAKE: Byrd is a raw talent that is a very good athlete and still learning the tight end position. Byrd is a legit 6-6 and moves very well for a guy his size.