Mike Peterson returns to Gainesville

Former Florida Gator Mike Peterson has returned to school to finish his degree. He will also be working with the football team as an undergraduate assistant. He met with the media today to discuss his time back in Gainesville so far.

  • Peterson has two classes left to finish his degree.
  • Peterson is pursuing a degree in sociology.
  • Peterson says being back to school is different, he had two dreams as a kid; play professional sports and get a degree. He says his family is even more excited than he is.
  • Peterson tries to teach younger guys how to go about their business everyday.
  • Peterson’s dad was a longtime coach and said the slogan he learned from him is that hard work pays off. He uses it in his football camp. He tries to instill in the kids that attend his camp that when you put hard work into something, it will eventually pay off.
  • Peterson thanks Will Muschamp and Jeremy Foley for giving him the opportunity to work with the team while he’s back at school. If he were to write out where he dreamed his coaching career would begin, it would be at UF.
  • Peterson hasn’t officially retired yet, he wants to make sure the door is fully closed before he calls it quits.
  • If someone called him today to return to the NFL he would be tempted to return, the longer he stays with the team the harder it would be for him to return to the NFL.
  • Peterson plans to work locally with his alma mater, Santa Fe high school, as much as he can.
  • Peterson thinks Florida’s linebackers are very athletic, Ronald Powell was the only one he mentioned by name.
  • Peterson says Muschamp is on par with many of the coaches he’s dealt with in the NFL, including Tony Dungy.
  • Peterson thinks, personally, his coaching style is fiery like Muschamp’s, as opposed to the even keeled manner of Tony Dungy. Peterson loves dishing out tough love.
  • The most important thing for young linebackers to do is to get in the playbook and learn what they have to do according to Peterson.
  • He’s spoken with Antonio Morrison, advised him to stay humble. He thinks Morrison is a good kid that’s had some mishaps.