When junior cornerback Jaydon Hill suffered a season-ending torn ACL during the first weekend of training camp, the starting spot opposite of Kaiir Elam immediately became one of the most hotly contested position battles on the team.
All of the primary contenders were highly inexperienced. Redshirt freshman Avery Helm only played in the Cotton Bowl last season. Five-star freshman Jason Marshall, Texas A&M transfer Elijah Blades and Missouri transfer Jadarrius Perkins have never played a down in a Gators uniform. Redshirt freshman Ethan Pouncey is returning from a hip surgery that caused him to miss all of last season.
After three weeks of competition, Helm has emerged as the winner. For now, anyway. He was listed as the starter on UF’s unofficial depth chart that was released on Monday, though the battle figures to carry over into the season.
“I feel like I just applied what I did in the offseason by working hard and just the practice and every day just working,” Helm said. “It just all came together.
“The level of competition in the cornerback room is very high. We’re all competitors. We all put in a lot of work over the offseason. So, it’s an ongoing competition all year; that’s how you stay at a high level. So, we’re all ready.”
While Helm is light on experience, his physical gifts are enormous. He said he can run the 40-yard dash in the 4.3-second range and jump 40 inches vertically. Those numbers would put him in elite company in an NFL Combine or Pro Day setting, and he’s still an underclassman. He’s so athletic that he also played quarterback throughout his high school career.
Oh, and he also possesses good length at 6-foot-1.
“Avery Helm [is] definitely a freak,” linebacker Mohamoud Diabate said. “I don’t know where he’ll fit in the pecking order because, even at his own position, we’ve got freaks like Kaiir, like Jaydon. I don’t know. He’s up there. He’s definitely one of the top freaks just because of his ability to jump and run, so I’m excited for him to get even older.”
Those physical tools give Helm a ceiling as high as anyone else on the roster.
The key now is for him to become more than just a weight room freak. He needs to continue improving his coverage techniques and his understanding of the defense.
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said he’s seen Helm make incremental progress in those areas throughout the offseason, and that’s what’s allowed him to be in a position to start against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
“Avery’s a guy that has really good speed that’s really progressed every time he’s had an opportunity to play,” he said. “You like the way he takes scrimmage one and the things he did there and improves on [in] scrimmage two. A really conscientious guy that works hard every day to be the kind of guy you want.”
Head coach Dan Mullen said he’s been impressed with the attitude Helm has displayed over the past few years. He suffered a torn ACL as a high school junior that could’ve destroyed his career before it ever really got started if he had let it. That was a critical time when Helm’s recruitment was starting to blow up.
Instead of adopting a “woe is me” attitude, Helm attacked his rehab hard and fought his way into the mix this offseason.
“I think Avery’s done a really good job of maturing,” Mullen said. “I think that was a big deal for him. When he got here, he was coming off a pretty significant injury, so that set him back with his rehab. But to grow and mature through that and then put himself in a position – obviously, he has tremendous physical talents. But it’s the maturity of learning how to play within the scheme, play within what we’re doing and do what’s expected of him beyond just his physical talents.”
Helm said his maturity and work ethic can partially be credited to Elam. Elam is a projected first round pick in the next NFL Draft, so Helm has tried to learn as much as he can from him about how to go about his daily business.
“I’d say one of the biggest things I’ve learned from Kaiir is he’s like a professional,” Helm said. “He carries himself exactly like a professional. So, I’ve been following him, picking up on some of his traits and just watching him. The more time I spend with him, the more I learn. So, he’s just somebody great to be around.”
Diabate said he’s excited to play with Helm this season. He knows that there will be some ups and downs for Helm as he sees his first meaningful action, but he expects him to battle through them and be a good player.
“I like his confidence,” Diabate said. “He’s confident in what he does and definitely his speed and anticipation. He plays hard. That’s really what I respect in a guy, a guy who is going to play hard.
“First start, he’s going to have to learn. Everybody has been there. I’ve been there. I was just there last year trying to figure it out. Everybody has that starting point, but I feel like he’s going to be a great corner. He’s going to have a great year this year.”
While Helm has won the starting spot for at least the first game, he’s not satisfied. He knows that Marshall, Blades, Perkins and Pouncey will be nipping at his heels all season long. He isn’t guaranteed anything.
Helm views making his first start this weekend as the next step in a long developmental process.
“You just build,” Helm said. “From my standpoint, I’m just going to see how the first game goes because it’s my first college game that I’m starting off in. Just to see how I start off, and then I’m going to just learn as I go. It’s going to be an all-in learning experience for me.”