Dawson tames the Tigers

Cornerback Duke Dawson (5-11, 195, Cross City, FL Dixie County) keeps plowing full steam ahead on his way to playing for the Florida Gators in 2014. Last Friday, Dawson led the Dixie County Bears to a complete squashing of the top rated team in District 3, the Union County Tigers.

“We beat the #1 team in the class in Union County,” Dawson said in a voice as steady and controlled as his performance on the field . “It all started in practice and we had a good game plan.. We knew we had to come out and play hard to win the game against those guys.”

Dawson makes the absolute most of his compact, muscular physique and his cornerback skills were clearly respected during the Friday night game under the lights. The greatest sign of respect for a cornerback is when the other team avoids him altogether and the Union County Tigers aimed their throws elsewhere.

Nonetheless, Dawson always wants the ball.

“It gets boring when they don’t throw my way,” Dawson lamented. “I’m out there talking, too. Telling the quarterback to throw my way. Sometimes they talk back but most of the times they just nod their head or keep quiet.”

Since committing to the Gators, Dawson’s recruiting journey has been pretty quiet. Well, quiet in comparison to the uproar he caused the day he mocked Florida State by jokingly throwing on a Noles’ cap only to rip it off seconds later and proudly don the orange and blue cap of his true allegiance.

Though committed, Dawson has decided he may as well enjoy his all-expense-paid official visits.

“Me and my mom talked about visits the other day actually,” Dawson said. “I’m going to go to Florida for sure and probably Alabama and I think Florida State too. I don’t think I’m going to use all of my five officials though.

Since committing to Florida, Dawson and his mother Monique are proving to be real Gators. So much so that Mrs. Dawson has become the unofficial ‘team mom’ for this 2014 Gators recruiting class.

Spivey’s Senses: Despite Dawson opting to go on official visits to other schools, Gator fans don’t have to worry as he’s orange and blue, through and through.

In fact, inspired by freshman starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, Dawson has set his sights on playing as a freshman in The Swamp and is working hard to make it happen.

“You have to come in and put the work in to play as a freshman,” Dawson said. “That’s what Vernon did and that’s all I think about is coming and working hard to get some playing time as a freshman.”

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.