Recruit gets ‘Catfished’ by fake Florida Gator coach

Houshun Gaines thought the recruiting process was over when he committed to Florida at an assembly of his classmates and family at Nash Central (Rocky Mount, NC) on Friday.

He quickly found out that he had been duped and that his path to Gainesville — or college football in general — remained a road he needed to pave as he was ‘Catfished’ by someone posing as a Gator assistant coach.

Nash Central athletic director Michael Mosely told the Rocky Mount Telegram that once word spread the (actual) Florida coaches reached out to clear the confusion.

“When I talked to a coach, they told me they hadn’t spoke to Gaines in several weeks,” Mosley said. “I think he was talking to someone he thought was a coach. I guess he said (on Friday) that he had talked to a coach the night before, but they said he hadn’t talked to anybody on the coaching staff.”

Gaines is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and the 6-foot-4, 220-pound defensive end certainly looks the part of a player headed to college.

The report said that Florida had told Mosely the team is interested in the prospect but was not ready to extend him a written, committable offer.

“When I talked to a coach, they told me they hadn’t spoke to Gaines in several weeks,” Mosley said. “I think he was talking to someone he thought was a coach. I guess he said (on Friday) that he had talked to a coach the night before, but they said he hadn’t talked to anybody on the coaching staff.”

According to his profile on the 247Sports website Gaines also has offers from Boston College, Duke, Miami, and N.C. State, among others.

Gaines responded to the situation in series of lighthearted tweets including one referencing the documentary-turned-television-series.

Lol I didn't think about it that way but, I got catfished.. Haha

— Houshun Gaines (@HZGduoUno) October 6, 2014

News got better for Gaines on Monday when he was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas pitting North versus South.

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