UF doubles up, Clay Burton commits to Gators

Florida Gators quarterback Trey Burton has had a great freshman season so far in Gainesville, FL. It appears as if Burton’s success and happiness at the University of Florida has been noticed by at least one very important recruit – his brother.

Three-star defensive end/linebacker Clay Burton (Venice, FL) decommitted from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday in order to pledge his services to Florida, according to Scout.com.

“I’m a Gator,” Clay Burton told Scout‘s Jason Higdon. “It’s just an opportunity that I can’t pass up. I wasn’t ready a year ago, or even six months ago, but like my brother said, I’m ready now and I earned it. […] Trey said we did it, and everything was right for me. This has to be the most selfless decision I’ll ever make.”

He originally committed to Notre Dame on June 18 and visited South Bend, IN, in late September with his mother and uncle – both of whom had approved of his choice. However, a phone call with Gators head coach Urban Meyer over the weekend quickly changed his mind.

“Meyer told me I earned [the opportunity],” Clay said. “He expects intensity and passion and that’s what I’m all about. I’ve grown as a leader and it speaks volume to the person that I am. That’s why I’m in the situation I’m in right now. I have belief in God and I trust in him and I prayed about the decision. I feel this decision is so right, and my brother is proof that if you put in the hard work you will be rewarded at Florida.”

Mother Burton is just as happy as her son.

“They offered and that was it. You want to have all of your options available to you before you make a decision, but we weren’t sure Florida was going to offer,” Cindy Burton MacFarlane told the Orlando Sentinel‘s Chris Hays. “Clay had to earn it and the only way he could do that was become a leader without Trey. At the University of Florida, those guys are hard to impress. That’s a top-notch football program and they only want the best of the best and Clay really had to earn it.”

Florida has very much become a family environment over the years with numerous siblings and relatives having donned the Orange & Blue. In addition to the duo of offensive linemen Maurkice and Mike Pouncey playing to the Gators, redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley‘s father and uncle both played in Gainesville and two of cornerback Joe Haden‘s brothers believed that UF was for them (safety Jordan Haden transferred to Maryland after enrolling this summer and running back Josh Haden joins the team via transfer from Boston College in Jan.).

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