Gator Country

Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer H.S. tight end Nick O'Leary works out during Friday Night Lights, a one-night football camp hosted by the Florida Gators, on Friday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

leadGrandpa wasn’t in The Swamp, but Nick O’Leary certainly scored an ace at Friday Night Lights, Florida’s annual camp for many of the top prospects from around Florida and also the nation.

The well-sculpted 6-4, 230-pound tight end from Class 4A state champion Dwyer High School of Palm Beach Gardens was very impressive, and most fans in attendance went home to bed and probably dreamed of No. 206 (the FNL-issued jersey) making some of those impressive catches next season for the Gators, perhaps even against the alma mater of his parents, Bill and Nan O’Leary – the Georgia Bulldogs.

His father, who played football at Cardinal Mooney in Sarasota, then matriculated to Georgia, where he met and fell in love with a volleyball player, Nan Nicklaus.

Yeah, that Nicklaus – the Golden Bear himself, Jack William Nicklaus, winner of 18 golf majors and one of the leading golf architects in the country. Take a look closely at the younger O’Leary and you’ll see Jack’s genes. People tend to forget that Nicklaus was quite an athlete himself at Upper Arlington (Ohio) High School and dabbled in football until his father Charlie’s friend, Wayne Woodrow Hayes (Woody to you and me) convinced the elder Nicklaus that his son had a better future playing golf.

Now Nicklaus’ grandson is carrying the pigskin.

“Nick is such a natural athlete,” Grandpa said. “From the time the kid was 5-6 years old, if they put him in the outfield in baseball, at the crack of the bat he would be on it. You don’t teach somebody that. In football, if he can touch it, he catches it. If the ball is in the air, he’s going to be the first one there.”

Friday night, O’Leary demonstrated remarkable ability in running pass routes and making the tough catches. On one reception in front of Florida coach Urban Meyer, O’Leary got the Florida coach to break into a grin. Later on, the two shared some meaningful time together as Meyer gave O’Leary a few pointers.

A good omen, Gator fans? Well, it would be except that things are getting pretty crowded on the depth chart at tight end for Florida. Converted quarterback Jordan Reed, a redshirt freshman, is the likely starter at the position, especially in how he demonstrated his ability to run a “Wildcat” package in the spring. He’s backed up by another redshirt freshman, Desmond Parks, and true freshman Gerald Christian, O’Leary’s teammate at Dwyer. Plus, Florida has a verbal pledge from A.C. Leonard of Jacksonville University Christian to sign on Feb. 2, 2011.

Which is why O’Leary is looking at a lot of schools, with Miami (Fla.), Florida State, Alabama and Grandpa’s alma mater, Ohio State, in his top five. Georgia may not have made the cut, but there’s a strong feeling that O’Leary will pick either Miami for its proximity or Florida State, which is where Uncle Steve Nicklaus played football.

Don’t be surprised, though, if Florida isn’t in there pitching, particularly since O’Leary can also punt and handles the holding duties on placekicks.

As his grandfather before him, when Nick O’Leary is toting the football, it’s best to get out of his way.

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