Gerald Christian didn’t waste time making a name for himself this spring. The freshman knew there was an open starting position at tight end after Aaron Hernandez left school for the NFL Draft, and he has made his presence felt ever since the Florida Gators first took the field for spring practice last Wednesday.
Q: “You come in with a chance to win a starting spot as a freshman. What is that like?
A: “I’m a competitor, so I just want to come out and go as hard as I can. I’m going to do whatever I can to help the team. I’m going to compete and try to get my spot. I’m not laying down for anybody.”
Q: “You’re already bigger than Aaron Herandez, tell us about your workouts.”
A: “(laughs) We work out hard. I eat like five times a day plus all of our workouts. I’ve always been big. I’m just naturally big and strong. Coming here and working out just made me bigger and bigger.”
Q: “How was Mickey Marotti’s offseason workout plan?”
A: “It was hard. It was pretty tough. We were out there working out at 6 a.m.”
Q: “Are you the strongest freshman? “
A: “Yeah. We never maxed out (on the bench), but we did reps of 225 (pounds) and I did 21. I ran a 4.65.”
Q: “How does Jordan Reed look at tight end?”
A: “He looks real good. He runs his routes real smooth. He’s a real good kid who helps me out a lot.”
Q: “How was the transition from high school to college been?”
A: “It’s a big transition, but I’m happy I did it to be able to play early.”