Houhsun Gaines Commits To Florida, One Problem: Florida Never Offered Scholarship
By: Evan Jankens
@kingofthekc
When speaking of the term "catfish" you almost instantly think about a guy or girl getting catfished by someone who isn't who they say they are.
Houhsun Gaines from North Carolina held a press conference on Friday to announce he had accepted the scholarship offer from the University of Florida and would play football for the Gators.
One slight problem ... Florida never offered him a scholarship.
According to the Rocky Mountain Telegram:
For the past month and a half, Gaines had thought he was communicating on social media with a member of the Gators coaching staff. He said just minutes after he committed on Friday, that person was Florida assistant coach Brad Lawing.
But that couldn't have been further from the truth.
Gaines – according to Nash Central athletics director Michael Mosley – was catfished.
He wasn't talking to Lawing, he was talking to someone who was posing as Lawing.
So while Gaines smiled next to his mom and dad with a blue Gators hat on Friday, thinking that he would be playing college football at Florida, the Gators coaching staff was on a plane to Knoxville unaware of the news. When they landed, sources close to the program said that they were shocked.
None of them were expecting Gaines, a three-star recruit with other offers from Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Miami, to commit to the Gators.
This is too bad for Gaines. Having said that kids need to be more aware of what is going on around them. Maybe give a call to Florida and talk to a coach and not believe everything you see or read on Twitter.