SEC and Florida squads impacting recruiting for four-star LB Gavin Nix

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Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

ORLANDO, Fla. – There are a lot of thumpers in the box at the high school level college teams can look to going against the run but there are few that can set the tone on the ground and cover the way Gavin Nix (6-0, 225) can. Focused on being more than a run stuffer and leader on the field, Nix wants to be that guy who can cover not only running backs and tight ends, but also receivers. Getting that extra work in on the field from the DB Elite Showcase in Orlando, the 2025 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) updates his offseason grind and active recruiting process.

Preparing for the fall schedule, Nix broke down what he’s been doing this summer on the gridiron.

“I try to focus on speed training,” Nix stated. “As an athlete, I want to train as an athlete. This summer has been a real grind focusing on putting mass on but doing it the right way. When I lift, I don’t max out, I focus on power and speed output. I have been grinding – most definitely.”

Nix continued sharing his grind fine-tuning his skillset, “I’m at a DB workout today, I’ve been working on a whole bunch of DB skills because I feel that the linebacker position has evolved; you have to be able to do everything. Me personally, I feel if you can move like a DB as a linebacker everything will translate; you will have good feet, fluid hips, you will move better, and have good ball skills.”

Holding 21 offers, the four-star has two high-profile teams building a connection.

“Georgia, I have been talking to Ohio State a lot, and there are schools like Wake Forest reaching out here and there,” Nix said. “I have been talking to Georgia and Ohio State heavy but they haven’t offered yet.”

Of the offering programs, ACC and SEC squads are making the most contact.

“I would say the Florida schools and a few out of state schools like Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and Notre Dame,” Nix shared. “With the local schools, it is a little bit easier for them to reach out. All the big Florida schools, I have been building great relationships with them as of late.”

Throughout the summer months Nix has made the rounds visiting staffs and campuses.

“At the beginning of the summer I had a teammate go on a bus tour, I went with him; we went to North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Georgia, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina – schools like that,” Nix stated.

Only one program was able to get Nix on the field for a camp/workout, and that turned into another scholarship opportunity for the four-star.

“I have only camped at Duke so far,” Nix shared. “That camp was great. It was part of the bus tour, but I went out there because of coach (Tyler) Santucci (DC/LB). I met him while he was at Texas A&M; he’s at Duke. It was good to connect with him again and I was able to workout with him. I received an offer at that camp; it was a great camp.”

The plan during the visit to Athens was to workout for the Bulldogs’ staff, but the chance to build a better rapport with the coaches emerged.

“The visit was great,” Nix said. “We weren’t able to do what we planned to do. I went up there to workout, but they had things going on with the staff and meetings, so I wasn’t able to workout, but it was a great visit. I talked to coach (Glenn) Schumann (DC/ILB) for 10 to 20 minutes. It was a great talk with him. It was good to see the guys; I have a few former teammates from last year now at Georgia. It was a good visit. I look forward to going back.”

Before Georgia sees Nix again, another SEC East team will welcome him to campus.

“I’m looking forward to going to Tennessee,” Nix stated. “Tennessee’s coaches and I, we’ve been building a great relationship. Towards the end of this month, I want to go to Tennessee.”

The intent of the visit to Knoxville was laid out.

“The main thing is learning defenses,” Nix shared. “It is a blessing to be at IMG because I have been able to learn so much. When I talk to coaches, I understand the terminology and the schemes, I really get the ins and outs of how college defenses run things.

“When I go to a college, I really want to learn how that defensive scheme works and how I can fit into it. I want to learn it to soak up as much knowledge that I can use to take back to my high school program to be that smart leader on our defense.”

Once the 2023 college football season gets underway, Sunshine State teams will get their chance to further impress Nix.

“Probably Florida State, Miami, and Florida – you gotta go to those games,” Nix said. “With our season, we travel too so it is hard to get to games. I want to try to get to the Florida schools’ rivalry games for sure.”

Nix gave insight into his relationship with the Gators, Hurricanes, and Seminoles.

Florida: “It has been great. I visited Florida about a month ago, they let me come up there on a regular day where I could go through and see how OTAs are run, how the meetings are run, and see how the coaches teach. It was great. My relationship with Florida has been tremendous, that is why I continue to go back. We’ve really been building a great relationship.”

Florida State: “Same thing. Florida State has been recruiting me since my ninth-grade year; it has been the same staff, and one that I like. The love has always been the same. I went up there not too long ago, it was me and two of my IMG teammates, it was just us. That was great. We were really able to lock in with the staff and the staff was able to lock in with us. I was able to learn defensive schemes, how they run things, learned where they see us fitting in, and stuff like that. I prioritize relationships, I appreciate schools like Florida and Florida State for continuing to build those relationships with me.”

Miami: “It has been great. They offered me during my eighth-grade year, but they’ve had two staffs come in. My relationship with coach “Nic” (Derek Nicholson – LB), coach “D-Nic”, is great. Within a short period of time, he’s shown me that he is interested in me and how much he loves my film and the type of player that I am. We’ve started to build something really great. Coach D-Nic is a good genuine guy on and off the field.”

Each season, IMG is in consideration for a high school national championship. On the journey to that goal, there is one big game Nix is looking forward to playing.

“The biggest game I am looking forward to this year is probably Thompson-Alabama,” Nix shared. “They are a big football city, and they’ve been talking about how they will shut down the whole city. I’ve known about Thompson for a few minutes; I know they are huge on football. I know that environment will be crazy. We played in Alabama last year, we played Central, and that environment was crazy. I am looking forward to playing Thompson.

“We have some other good teams on the schedule like St. Frances; that will always be a good one. We have a good chance to travel and see a lot of places, I am excited for that.”

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