After a long three years that have felt like an extremely well-written movie script, Diwun Black is finally a Gator.
Black was a top-100 linebacker/safety in the class of 2019. He committed to the Gators over Ole Miss just minutes before Dan Mullen stepped to the podium for his first media day as UF’s coach in August 2018.
However, academics were a much-publicized concern with him. Despite this, the Gators allowed him to sign a national letter of intent in hopes that he could pull off an academic Hail Mary.
He didn’t. Instead, the Forest, Mississippi, native was forced to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two years.
He led his team to the 2019 NJCAA national championship by making 46 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, one interception and five pass breakups.
While their 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, Black was ranked as the No. 1 overall junior college prospect in the country by the 247Sports Composite.
Meanwhile, Mullen’s decision to let Black sign out of high school garnered some criticism from fans. Why waste one of your precious scholarships on a guy who you know is unlikely to qualify, especially when there’s a chance that he could choose to go somewhere else after graduating from junior college?
As it turned out, those fans had nothing to worry about. The Gators and Black stayed loyal to each other throughout it all, and now they’re each being rewarded. Black enrolled at Florida in May and has two years of eligibility remaining.
“That’s the No. 1 thing in coaching is not to give up on kids,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “The No. 1 thing on coaching is to make kids better. Yeah, I can talk about first-round picks I’ve had, but I can also talk about guys like Diwun or other guys that were able to get their degree and live a quality life and provide for their family. Everybody comes from a different environment and different circumstances.
“You learn how they’re good kids, and some kids are dealt different cards than others. You’ve just got to play them as they come out, and you stick with them. That’s the rewarding part of coaching, at least for me, is to see guys have success with that kind of stuff. You don’t turn your back on players. You continue to work with them as they continue to work hard to help them benefit themselves in their lives.”
Linebackers coach Christian Robinson said Black walks around campus radiating thankfulness and joy. Junior colleges typically don’t invest anywhere near as much money into football as major colleges or even top high school programs do. He had to fight an uphill battle in junior college just to make it to his college of choice.
“To finally get him here has been an awesome thing,” Robinson said. “I remember he was one of the first guys I had on campus for an official visit, him and his mother here and just how excited they were to be Gators. And to take that journey, I’m just so proud of him and to finally be here.
“When you think that opportunity might be taken away, your attitude of being thankful for where you’re at and what you have, I think that attitude is going to translate to him helping us this season and the seasons to come. Being thankful for where you’re at and knowing it’s not as hard as it could be. ‘I’d rather be doing this then wearing a different logo somewhere else.’ He’s just thankful to be here. He’s excited just to have our strength staff, our nutrition staff, to have somebody to help him organize his class assignments and make sure he’s on time.”
Added Grantham: “You go to a JUCO … you’re just trying to survive. You’re on a budget, and you’re not afforded those things. So, when you come to a place like the University of Florida and you’re able to get that nutrition, that gear, that facility, it probably humbles you a little bit and makes you appreciate it and makes you want to stick and stay. So, in a lot of ways, it can be a good thing.”
Black is more than just a feel-good underdog story, though. He’s got a chance to contribute right away. He’s got great length and strength at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds, and he’s also an explosive athlete. He played wide receiver in high school and averaged more than 15 yards per catch. He tallied 35 points and 10 rebounds in a state championship basketball game.
Grantham and Robinson said Black is training at multiple spots and will help this team. Once he gets a better feel for the defensive scheme and refines a few things fundamentally, he could be a Swiss army knife of sorts that lines up near the line of scrimmage as a linebacker or deep in the secondary as a safety. He can cover, tackle, pursue ballcarriers and blitz with near equal effectiveness.
“I’m excited about him because he just goes hard,” Robinson said. “He’s learning. It’s like having a freshman out there, but he’s learning. But we’re going to find a way to incorporate him into our group and help us.”
One thing the coaches won’t have to worry about is effort. Black knows how difficult it is to make it from junior college to Florida and how quickly it can be taken away. He doesn’t plan on wasting a single second in a Gators uniform.
“Sometimes, when you get used to what you have, you forget that it’s a blessing,” Robinson said. “I think he knows he’s blessed to be here, and we’re glad to have him finally.”