The Florida Gators seniors have been through quite a journey since they were wide-eyed high school seniors, signing on the dotted line of a National Letter of Intent.
Florida’s 2012 recruiting class had 22 signees and only ten remain on the roster. Three left school early for the NFL Draft, one junior college transfer (Damien Jacobs) graduated and eight more transferred away from Florida for various reasons.
There are also redshirt seniors Trip Thurman and Valdez Showers, who were apart of the 2011 recruiting class, as well as transfers Jake McGee, Mason Halter, Anthony Harrell and Josh Grady, the former two having played key roles for Florida this season.
They were freshmen (and redshirt freshmen) when Florida went 11-1 in the regular season and was a game away from playing in the National Championship. Players like Jon Bullard, Antonio Morrison and Brian Poole played roles on that team and have become key contributors and stars for Florida since that first season in Gainesville.
They went through one of the worst seasons in Gainesville together in 2013 and had to deal with a coaching change after their junior seasons. Like the three other members of their recruiting class, they could have left school early and not dealt with a new coaching staff.
When Jim McElwain took over the younger players had to buy in. Guys like Quincy Wilson, Jalen Tabor, David Sharpe and Alex Anzalone would be Mac’s players for at least two more seasons so it was buy in and shape up or ship out. For guys like Morrison and Bullard, Mac is essentially a rent-a-coach. They only had one more year of eligibility left and won’t be around for the bulk of McElwain’s tenure at the University of Florida.
Not only did they buy in, they pushed all in and led the way for their teammates in 2015.
“We’re a program on the rise. We’re a program on the build,” McElwain said after the SEC Championship game. “These seniors and guys that are going to come out early built a great foundation for the future, and I’m proud of them.”
These seniors came to Florida in a time of turnover. They were apart of Will Muschamp’s first two recruiting classes. They expected to be in Atlanta every season but only realized that dream last Saturday in their final season. They’ve sacrificed a lot, but they are leaving the University of Florida a better place than they came to.
Antonio Callaway will be a part of the future, a big part at that. The freshman led the Florida Gators with 603 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 30 receptions. He also returned two punts for touchdowns, including one in the SEC Championship game, during his rookie year.
Sitting on a stool outside of Florida’s locker room, Callaway choked up when asked about the seniors on his team.
“I wanna tell them I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry we didn’t play better for them today.”
Callaway’s emotion is another testament to the senior class.
They bought in when they didn’t need to. Trip Thurman played with a shoulder that is being held together by bubble gum. Antonio Morrison returned from a devastating knee injury in just eight months. The want, desire, love and passion that the senior class showed on and off the field has made an impact on the younger players and it will continue to make an impact for Jim McElwain’s teams in the future.
This senior class will never lay claim to a SEC Championship or a National Title, but they’ve laid the foundation for Florida to get there soon.
Excellent article- thanks for getting the story out on these special players.