Jordan Scarlett’s hair was shorter, his biceps didn’t bulge under his jersey but JaJuan Seider liked what he saw.
Scarlett was an eighth grader and Seider, a South Florida native, was back close to home recruiting for Marshall, where he served as the Herd’s running backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
Seider moved on to West Virginia, but he continued recruiting Scarlett, who bounced his commitment from FAU to Miami and ultimately Florida. Seider never gave up, because, well, shooters shoot and Seider isn’t afraid to get a “no” as long as he went down trying.
“It’s hard to beat Florida,” Seider said with a laugh. “I’ve won a few battles, but it’s hard to beat Florida. You understand that coming down here recruiting.”
Seider insists he didn’t have any hard feelings, he knows that he isn’t going to land every recruit he reaches out to, but it was nice to see a familiar face when he arrived in Gainesville.
“He was like ‘Yeah I kinda told you I was always coming for you, and it’s crazy how it worked out’,” Scarlett said of one of his first interactions with Seider this spring. “My high school coach always told me never be mean to somebody, because you never know where you’ll end up.”
Scarlett, a starter all four years in high school, also had to sit and wait his turn behind Kelvin Taylor. That year tried his patience, touched his ego and even made him second-guess the decision he made to come to Florida. A citation for marijuana possession caused him to miss the bowl game at the end of that season but it opened his eyes. He refocused his efforts and set his sights on being the starting running back as a sophomore.
“I had it in my mind. I had it in my that as long as I worked hard and do what I’m supposed to do and stay on the right track and stay out of trouble, I should be fine,” he said.
The junior-to-be did lead the Gators with 179 carries for 889 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore. It didn’t all come easy. Florida’s running back rotation last year was maddening to fans, as backs were seemingly taken out of games just as they were getting hot and into a rhythm. Publically all of the running backs said the right things, but it wasn’t until the game against Georgia — when Jordan Cronkrite and Mark Thompson didn’t travel with the team — that Scarlett and freshman Lamical Perine finally go the opportunity to handle the workload. Scarlett pounded out 93 yards on 26 carries, a season high. Mostly, that game showed that the then sophomore had what it took to be the bell cow in the backfield. He rushed for 134 yards against South Carolina and was the only running back to cross the 100-yard mark in a game (108) against LSU the following week.
Seider knows Scarlett can handle a lot, but he’s going to be smart about how he handles the running backs.
“I think a fresh back is better than a tired back. You always remember that as a coach because that’s when bad things happen,” said Seider. “If a kid’s hot, he’s hot, as long as he can keep going. But if he’s looking over to the sideline, he need a blow, you gotta get him out the game.”
Scarlett doesn’t shy away from contact. He has an ability to absorb blows and deliver his own punishment. Last year, when asked, he said he doesn’t really feel the hits during the game, which is good because he’s not the kind of running back that is going to try to juke and spin his way around tackles. If you intend on tackling Jordan Scarlett, he’s going to make you earn it.
“I like that he knows who he is as a running back,” Seider said of Scarlett. “You know, he’s not a guy who’s going to sit there and juke and try to make a lot of people miss. He’s going to put his foot in the ground and go forward and I think as a running back, when you find yourself early you play to your strength. Right now, he’s playing to his strength.”
Scarlett was a captain several times last year and he’s being asked to take on a veteran role. He’s a much different person off the field than the angry runner looking to run you over inside the white lines but he’s working on being more vocal. That started in his own position room, fueled by the confidence of a strong finish to the 2016 season.
“Jordan has had a great camp,” Seider said. “Every day, he’s getting better. He’s been the alpha in the room. He’s bringing it every day.
And Scarlett sees it the same way.
“I see some good things coming for me next year.”