4-Star 2017 QB Jake Allen Commits to Florida, Calls Gators His 'Dream' School

Jim McElwain and the new Florida Gators regime secured their first commitment from a quarterback on July 1, and it's 2017 standout Jake Allen.

The 4-star prospect received an offer three weeks ago and didn't wait long to reveal his intentions, calling Florida's staff Wednesday shortly after a cross-country tour that featured visits to Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford.

"I felt like I owed it to myself to explore some other campuses and understand what else is out there, but by the time I got home I knew I belonged in Gainesville," Allen told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview.

Allen, a 6'3", 191-pound playmaker from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, grew up a huge fan of Gators legend Tim Tebow and has trained under a former Florida quarterback since sixth grade.

"The biggest reason it's a dream offer for me is because my quarterback coach Eric Kresser—who played for the Gators—has been telling me since middle school that I was going to become the starting quarterback at the University of Florida someday," Allen said. "He's given me insight and shown me how to handle myself."

He is also itching to get in the middle of the Florida vs. Florida State rivalry. 

"FSU versus UF is the best rivalry in football," Allen said. "I really feel like the atmospheres are very different at those schools. For me, Florida is family now and Florida State is a rival. My mom went to Florida State, so that should make things more interesting around the house."

Allen admitted that, while his mother Leslie was thrilled for him, she also expressed slight lament about needing to now invest in Gators gear.

Gators coaches responded with widespread enthusiasm when he made the call midday Wednesday.

Allen is rated 11th nationally among 2017 pro-style quarterbacks in 247Sports' composite rankings and is exactly the kind of pickup who could produce momentum for McElwain's recruiting efforts.

"It was awesome to hear how excited Coach Mac and his whole staff were when I told them about my decision," Allen said. "(Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) is definitely looking forward to having me up there and he wants me to enroll early. They make me feel at home there, so I wanted to pull the trigger."

At this point, Allen is the only scholarship quarterback hand-picked by Florida's current staff, but he isn't shy about the sky-high expectations he plans to bring to Gainesville.

"It's the perfect situation. From a quarterback standpoint it couldn't be better. I think it's 100 percent the best offense I could be in," Allen said. "I want to win a national championship. That's the ultimate goal."

That journey begins now, as the Gators attempt to build toward a program rebound through strong recruiting.

"I'm going to lead this class. Ask my coaches, ask my teammates—they'll tell you I'm a leader," he said. "I believe I was born to play quarterback. I still have two years of high school football to play, but my goal is already to help build something special at Florida. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure this is a top-10 class."

Courtesy of Jake Allen

He doesn't need to search far for talent. St. Thomas Aquinas teammates Trevon Grimes and Sam Bruce are both coveted wide receiver recruits, and St. Thomas tight end Michael Irvin Jr. is also on his radar. 

Grimes, a 5-star talent, is rated No. 1 overall among 2017 pass-catchers, and Bruce, the top-ranked member of rival Miami's 2016 recruiting class, is listed fifth among rising senior receivers.

"Sam and 'Tre' are both my boys. I'm definitely going to talk to them about becoming Gators," Allen said. "That's where I need to start getting guys, at my own school. They know I'll be honest with them about the process and they'll be honest with me. It would be huge to play with them both in college."

Allen is already starting to recruit them as he plans to bring Bruce with him to the "Friday Night Lights" recruiting event on July 24 in Gainesville, where former star St. Thomas Aquinas running back Jordan Scarlett is a freshman.

In addition to his teammates, Allen is putting together a "hit list" of athletes he aims to team up with at Florida. He mentioned IMG Academy receiver Emmanuel Greene and Ohio State commit Bruce Judson as 2017 targets near the top of that group.

"I believe I'm a guy that other recruits want to play with, and that's my most important thing now," Allen said. "It was big for me to commit early so I can help get this class going and get some playmakers around me."

Credit: 247Sports

His admiration for Florida has deep roots, leading him to call the opportunity a "dream offer". 

Allen earned MVP honors last month at the inaugural Rivals Quarterback Challenge in Baltimore and will orchestrate the offensive attack for a national powerhouse this fall. 

"I'm a confident kid, and I know I can get the job done," Allen said.

Florida finally has its quarterback of the future. 

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue.

Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports.