Few players on the Florida Gators defense have been talked about more this offseason than the duo of sophomore defensive linemen Elijah Conliffe and T.J. Slaton.
The two have been viewed as a pair essentially since they arrived on campus, mostly due to their outstanding size. Both got a decent amount of playing time in backup roles on the line last season, but they are expected to make a significant impact in 2018.
While Conliffe and Slaton showed great potential a year ago, the biggest question heading into this season was whether or not they would be able to transform their bodies and mental games in order to stay on the field and play more snaps.
From the bits and pieces media has seen in practices as well as the things their teammates have said of them throughout fall camp, it became clear that they had done just that, but defensive coordinator Todd Grantham confirmed it on Thursday.
“If you were to say on day one from spring to now, they are completely different players,” Grantham said. “They worked at perfecting their craft. And to be an all-around pro and all-around player, you have to do the things that we just talked about … The biggest thing is when you are trying to develop, there is always that barrier. Everyone is going to have that breaking point, and what you have to do is push yourself through that barrier to take that next step and I think those guys have done a good job at working to make that incline to be the kind of players they want to be.”
For Slaton, the main struggle was getting his body where it needed to be. Once he immersed himself in Nick Savage’s training program, the results came quickly.
He arrived at Florida already a very large human being, but somehow managed gain weight in his freshman season. He gained around 10 pounds, putting him at 373 by the FSU game.
Slaton now weighs 340 and is continually dropping more fat while adding muscle. It is showing as he can move better than ever and stay on the field for longer periods of time.
“He’s been working his butt off,” said defensive line coach Sal Sunseri. “He’s been straining, he’s been doing some things and he’s a very, very gifted athlete. His work ethic has gotten better, he’s been using hands better, he’s a very, very powerful young man, so if he goes and he develops not only mentally, but physically, the kid has a heck of a future.”
Conliffe’s biggest hurdle was getting himself in the right place mentally. He said it was very hard for him in the spring, but he kept working on it and is finally where he needs to be.
That has transferred to the field and he has even stepped up as a leader on the defensive line. Both Conliffe and Slaton have, according to their teammates. But Slaton likes having someone there to share that role with.
“I feel like it’s Elijah Conliffe,” Slaton said of the defensive line’s leader. “He really knows it and really understands this defense. He calls out the scheme and our stunts and all that type of stuff. He really talks to the D-line.”
Opposing teams will have a handful with these two stuffing the interior for the Gators this year. It is time to stop talking about the havoc Conliffe and Slaton could cause and finally see it in action with the season just over a week away.