‘I wanted to match my son’: Lloyd Summerall III’s father gets a taste of Florida recruiting, too

Lloyd Summerall isn’t someone who turns down dares.

Summerall was with his son, four-star Lakeland (Fla.) High School defensive end Lloyd Summerall III, on an official visit at Florida over the weekend when he received what he perceived as a challenge from an unexpected source.

It was Gators head coach Dan Mullen.

Advertisement

This was around 2 or 3 p.m. Saturday. Florida hosted 14 official visitors this weekend, an important one with the early signing period approaching on Dec. 19. Summerall III is one of the Gators’ most important uncommitted targets for the 2019 class.

During the photo shoot portion of the official visit, all the parents and family relatives of prospects wore Florida shirts while the players were dressed in full uniform. That’s when Mullen looked at Summerall with an idea.

“Man, you look pretty swole,” Mullen said, as Summerall recalled. “You probably need to go ahead and put on a whole uniform.”

Summerall responded: “You know what? I guess I’ll go ahead and try that then.”

“Well,” Mullen said, per Summerall, “go do it.’ ”

“And I did it,” Summerall said. “And, oh, my God, it was so funny.”

That is how Lloyd Summerall III’s father became decked out head to toe in Jordan Gators gear.

“I wasn’t going to say no to a dare,” Summerall told The Athletic. “I’m a competitor, too.”

He wore blue gloves. An orange headband. Orange pants. A white sleeve. Jordan Gators cleats. Jordan socks.

“I wanted to match my son,” Summerall said. “I wanted to be right there with him, whatever he had on. He had on one more sleeve than I did, though. But the shoes, they got the best shoes. I think they got all Jordan shoes. They got the best stuff. It’s all good stuff.

“All the recruits were right there, so they had everything accessible. All the sizes for anybody. Anybody could have fit in it that day. Every parent already had on shirts. So I took it a step further. I had to one-up everybody.”

Summerall quickly became a hit on social media; few have seen a parent of a top recruit dressed in full uniform for a photo shoot on an official visit. Summerall III’s tweet of the photos from the visit with his father generated more than 500 retweets and 3,000 likes. Summerall III included “#NewRoommate” with his tweet.

Advertisement

The jokes didn’t stop there. Many questioned how much eligibility Summerall had left.

“I’m pretty robust, bro,” Summerall said. “We got a tree business. I’m ready, but I ain’t ready for that. I don’t think I’m ready for that level of sport.

“Everybody, they love it on social media. They see what the motive is — my son has dreams, that I’m there to support my son. I got his back, and that’s the biggest thing. If I had to put on a clown suit, I’d wear that, just to let him know that I’m right here with him.”

The question is: Where will Summerall III be?

Summerall III is the No. 237 player in the nation and No. 15 defensive end, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Sources close to the Gators believe the coaching staff sees him as a gifted pass rusher, a can’t-miss talent in the state. He had seven tackles, half a sack and a forced fumble in Lakeland’s state championship win last week and finished the season with 90 tackles, 12 sacks and four interceptions.

“I just like how they want to see me in the scheme,” Summerall III said before his visit. “I get to rush and stand up. Obviously, I love that. That’s good. With Florida, I hang up on one (coach) and another one calls. So, all of them consistently try to keep in touch.”

Summerall III and Lakeland four-star tight end Keon Zipperer will announce their college choices live from the school on ESPN on Dec. 19, the first day of the early signing period.

Florida feels good about its chances of landing Summerall III, sources said, but there is competition. Summerall III will take an official visit to Miami this weekend, his father confirmed.

“The decision, I’m not there to tell him what decision to make as far as any team,” the elder Summerall said. “He’s got a tough decision because everybody we’ve met has been phenomenal. No matter who he plays for, whatever. I want to be there for him, any kind of way I can.”

Advertisement

He will even be in full uniform.

(Photo courtesy of Lloyd Summerall)