A new era of Florida Gators defense has begun. The standard of dominance on the defensive side of the ball is over, for now, but a new one is in progress.
With so many first and second year players starting and seeing significant playing time, some kind of drop off was to be expected this season, but one veteran player is doing everything in his power to be sure those young guys work to meet their potential and continue the Florida tradition on defense in the years to come.
Defensive end Jordan Sherit is a redshirt senior this season, and he played like it on Saturday against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Sherit finished the game with just two tackles (one for a loss) in Florida’s 38-24 win, but he was in the backfield making Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur uncomfortable all game long. He recorded a career high five quarterback hurries in the game, which is three more than his season total from 2016.
“You know I thought Jordan played within the game, the framework of the game,” said head coach Jim McElwain. “I think sometimes we get a little loose out there, maybe trying to make too much happen. And what he does is he does his job, then, which in turn, creates plays that he makes.”
Sherit is off to a great start this season, but it took a lot for him to get to this point.
He was often overlooked in the offseason after he battled through several injuries over his first four years at Florida and went into fall camp at less than 100 percent. With so much uncertainty in his health, there was no way to know if he would rebound or be overshadowed by the younger players.
Finally back to health, Sherit has made himself a force on the defensive line this season, with no game more indicative of that than this one. He’s not flashy, he just gets the job done, and that’s the kind of player these young players need to look up to.
“I’m sure glad he’s back and playing and healthy because he’s a real stabilizer out there for all the young guys that we have on the field,” McElwain said. “And uh, I don’t know, he might have been a babysitter for some of them when he was growing up. I have no idea where his age difference is. It’s sure great to have him out there and obviously big plays.”
While he might not be quite as old as McElwain seems to think, he has been a part of the Florida program for a long time now. He has played on some of the best defenses in the country each year since his college career began and he has learned from players who are now making big money in the NFL.
In Sherit’s final season with the Gators, he is passing down the knowledge he’s obtained over the years to a young defense still trying to make a name for itself. His teammates respect that and recognize the product he puts on the field every Saturday.
“He’s an older guy, he’s seen a lot, he has a lot of knowledge and he teaches us what he knows,” said sophomore defensive end Jachai Polite. “He’s a turtle. He’s like a wise turtle. He just knows a lot of things. It’s important for us younger guys. He teaches us on the run every day. It’s great to have someone like that, like a big brother on the field.”