Florida Gators: Former LB Dante Fowler Making a Jax Splash

Gus Bradley couldn’t stop smiling.

The head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars sat next to former Florida Gators lineman Dante Fowler Jr. during Fowler’s introductory press conference in Jax with a grin on his face as Fowler wooed the local media with his usual aplomb.

For anyone who might have held a bit of doubt, the smile on Gus Bradley’s face said he couldn’t be happier about the Jags first round draft pick out of the University of Florida.

It was mirrored on Fowlers.

Despite having gone nearly three days with no rest, the St. Petersburg native lit up when discussing the whirlwind that brought him to the Florida coast.

“I actually wasn’t campaigning for this spot,” Fowler admits before adding, “it just probably seemed like it because I always mentioned Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Jacksonville, but going into this process I really didn’t, you don’t know who’s going to pick you so I was in that green room, I was a little nervous a little bit because everyone’s in there just waiting for their names to get called, you don’t know. And there was a lot of great players. Once you’re around those guys, any of your names could get called. So just for them to call me and tell them they want me to be a Jaguar, I was very humbled by that.”

Another person in that green room was Fowler’s son, Dante Folwer III. He’ll remember that night for the rest of his life as well, but his father says it’s mostly because of the bowl of candy the three year old toddler got to take part in.

But once the name was called, little DJ was ready to take the NFL world by storm with his daddy.

“He was like ‘Today is my day’ and I was like ‘Hold on, I thought today was mine’ and he was like ‘No it’s mine…I’m the one that’s getting drafted’.”

So now the Fowler boys come to Jacksonville, albeit only one on the field.

That particular Dante Fowler is exactly where he wants to be and is ready to help the Jacksonville Jaguars start a new era.

P.S. Gator fans, Dante says he knows how short of a drive it is between Gainesville and Jacksonville, and he can’t wait to see you all in the stands come kickoff.

Watch below for our video interview with Dante Fowler Jr. at his introductory press conference with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Kassidy Hill
Born into a large family of sports fanatics and wordsmiths alike, sports journalism came natural to Kassidy. It’s more than a passion; it’s simply a part of who she is. Hailing from Alabama in the midst of typical Iron Bowl family, she learned very quickly just how deep ties in the SEC could run. She came to Gainesville after college to pursue a degree as television sports reporter but quickly realized she missed writing. She’s excited to now marry the two aspects for Gator fans. She loves Jesus, her daddy and football; wants to be Billy Donovan’s best friend and firmly believes that offensive lineman are the best people on earth. Follow her on Twitter @KassidyGHill