Gainesville, FL (U-WIRE) -- On weekdays, Coach Urban Meyer and staff are on the road, attempting to make up for lost time. Weekends, however, have proved to be days in which Meyer can showcase Gainesville.

The Gators played host to recruits for the second straight weekend, but instead of seven high school seniors getting a taste of orange and blue, only three recruits made the trip to UF this time.

Offensive lineman Simon Codrington, ranked No. 48 in the nation by Scout.com, was one of the select few who put a positive spin on the small number.

"The fact that I was there with only two other guys was a major plus for me," Codrington said. "I went to Tallahassee last week and the large number of guys didn't give me that much access."

Codrington, a 6-foot-7, 255-pound tackle from South Miami Senior High School, was hosted by former teammate and current Gators linebacker Javier Estopinan.

"It was a lot of fun getting a chance to talk to Javier about the school," Codrington said. "He showed me what it was like being a student there."

However, Codrington's most lasting impression came not from the city, but rather from the new head coach. Codrington got a chance to meet Meyer and new offensive line coach John Hevesy, and said he was blown away by the experience.

"There hasn't been one place I've been to in which I got to talk to the head coach so much," Codrington said. "I loved getting a chance to talk to him about everything."

From the Swamp to Lake Wauburg, recruits get shown almost every part of Gainesville that could convince them to sign that letter of intent.

In addition to UF, Codrington's choices include Florida State, North Carolina State and West Virginia, which he will visit this week.

Doug Worthington, an Ohio State oral commitment, also made the trip to Gainesville, but his heart remained in Buckeye country. Scout.com's No. 4 defensive end, Worthington was hosted by freshman linebacker Brandon Siler but came away still committed to Ohio State.

The third visitor, running back Mikell Simpson, said his visit to Gainesville was great. UF continues to pursue the talented back despite scholarship offers from Alabama, Nebraska, Virginia and Michigan State.

Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter-of-intent is signed on National Signing Day on Feb. 2.

(C) 2004 Independent Florida Alligator via U-WIRE