Jordan Scarlett led the Gators with 165 carries for 795 yards and six touchdowns this season but it almost didn’t happen. There was a point last season where Scarlett wasn’t even sure he wanted to return to Gainesville for his sophomore year.
Scarlett had been the man on every team he’d played on since high school. As a freshman at University School he scored 14 touchdowns. As a freshman at UF in 2015 he only carried the ball 34 times, 10 less than fellow freshman Jordan Cronkrite and 225 time less than junior Kelvin Taylor.
“Yeah at times I did think that,” Scarlett said when he thought about leaving Florida. “I just kept telling myself to be patient. Not everybody’s first year is their best year and I just gotta keep it going.”
In three years at University School Scarlett carried the ball more than 350 times scoring 51 touchdowns. He wasn’t used to his new role at Florida, which mainly consisted of Scarlett holding his helmet on the sideline.
His career started off promising. He carried the ball eight times in his first game, scoring a touchdown, in his first game. He carried the ball just four times in the second game and he let that affect him the next week in practice. He came in with an attitude and the coaching staff quickly let him know that showing up with a bad attitude because you weren’t playing wasn’t going to be tolerated. He didn’t travel to Kentucky for the Gators’ third game. He needed someone to lean on.
“My high school coach, (Coach Roger) Harriott. I’ll give him a call every now and then,” Scarlet said of whom he turned to when things weren’t going his way. “I’ll give him a call when I need something, need some guidance.”
Scarlett and Harriott are close. So close that Scarlett, who was rated as one of the best running backs in the state of Florida, committed to Florida Atlantic after Harriott accepted the running backs job at the school in 2013, Scarlett’s junior year of high school. The commitment didn’t last long but it shows you the depth of the bond the player and coach have.
Scarlett didn’t play again until Florida’s trip to LSU. He carried the ball one time, almost scoring down in the red zone. He played his biggest role the following week and then sparingly the rest of the season.
Then, there was another issue. Scarlett was cited for marijuana possession on December 19 at his dormitory on Florida’s campus. Scarlett was suspended for the bowl game. Scarlett was open and honest with the officers, something head coach Jim McElwain was proud of.
“Jordan Scarlett made some choices,” McElwain said the week of Florida’s matchup with Michigan in the 2015 Citrus Bowl. “He’s not going to play in the game, but he’ll be back with this team.
”I tell you, he’s a great kid and handled it the way you should handle it. Stood up, honest, and I’m proud of him for that.”
Scarlett rejoined the team for the spring but was joined again by Cronkrite as well as junior college transfer Mark Thompson. Freshman Lamical Perine would join in the summer. Scarlett could have given up, he could have decided to find somewhere with less competition but he didn’t.
When Cronkrite emerged atop the depth chart after spring camp, Scarlett didn’t get discouraged. When it was Cronkrite again to take a lead in the fall, Scarlett continued to put his head down and work.
“I’ve been working a long time, ever since last year when I didn’t get to play much,” he said. “I was just waiting on my opportunity and I told myself every time I get the ball I’ll just try the best I can.”
Cronkrite was injured during a scrimmage in the fall, opening a door for Scarlett.
“I wish that didn’t happen to him. He’s a good friend of mine, we’ve been roommates since we got here. It’s a thing that happened. I was just ready for any moment, just the next guy up and that’s what I was.”
This was it. Scarlett earned the start against UMass in the season opener but watched Thompson start the next three games, but all four running backs were receiving equal carries. Scarlett earned his next start against Tennessee and fans saw a glimpse of his potential. He only tallied 44 yards on 10 carries, but found the end zone. It was against Tennessee that people started noticing how Scarlett ran — hard, decisive, and unafraid. Scarlett started the next week against Vanderbilt and five of the last six games. He led the Gators in carries 11 times, including the final 10 games.
“It hurt a little bit at first,” Scarlett said of his freshman season. “It humbled me, definitely, but it made me stronger. Now I’ll be able to sit out and when I get in I know I have to take advantage of every opportunity.”
Scarlett did just that as a sophomore, running through an open door and right into an opportunity. It’s something that may not have happened if the same opportunity had arisen in 2015. He wasn’t mature enough to handle it then. Scarlett was at a fork in the road watching his team play against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl last year. He made the choice to be accountable rather than pointing fingers elsewhere. He’s matured as a player and a person and that showed on the field.
“I’m just ready to give back to coach for last year when I wasn’t able to give him all I had.”