Freshman LB Jarrad Davis next man up for Gators

Thomas Edison once said that opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

With head coach Will Muschamp often referring to the Florida Gators as a blue-collar football program, one that expects its players to bring their lunch pails to practice each day, perhaps no player is a better representative of Edison’s ideal and Muschamp’s vision than freshman linebacker Jarrad Davis.

A three-star prospect out of Kingsland, GA, Davis was considered an afterthought in Florida’s 2013 recruiting class that included three other top-tier linebacker talents including five-star Alex Anzalone and four-stars Daniel McMillian and Matt Rolin.

Yet it is Davis who has impressed the coaching staff and his teammates, played exceedingly well on special teams and is scheduled to fill in for Antonio Morrison in the starting lineup after the sophomore tore his meniscus on Saturday and was declared out for the season.

“When you do well with the role you get, your role increases,” defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said of Davis on Wednesday.

“Jarrad shows up a bunch. Whether it’s on special teams or the limited snaps he’s in on defense, he shows up. He’s about all the right things. He practices and works really hard, prepares himself well. He’s going to get more opportunities and we’re going to keep playing him more and more as we go.”

Morrison’s offseason antics made him a lightning rod for the Gators heading into the season. Those with visions of his monster hit on Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel last year expected a dominant sophomore campaign. Unfortunately for Florida and Morrison, he has been underwhelming overall, missing tackles and often being out of position on certain plays.

The Gators will not improve with a team leader out of the starting lineup – Morrison was also responsible for many of the defensive calls and has a great understanding of the defense according to Durkin – but his injury does provide an opportunity for an up-and-coming player to make an impact and perhaps earn a permanent role on the first string.

“He’s a guy that’s very mature,” Durkin added about Davis. “He just handles himself in a way that you would not, if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t think he was a freshman. That’s in meeting rooms, off the field, on the field. He prepares really hard, and he’s a very talented player, too. We’re very pleased with where he’s at, obviously, and he’s going to continue to play more and more.”

The coaching staff appreciates Davis’s efforts so much that it went so far as to name him a captain ahead of the Missouri game, making him the first UF true freshman to receive that honor since at least 1998.

Florida has little left to play for outside of pride this season as it will take an upset of monumental proportions to leave the Gators with a bowl-eligible 6-6 record at year’s end. But developing young players and turning them into dependable starters is undoubtedly a goal over the next month.

“I think [Davis is] going to be a guy, someone we’ll build [on] around here,” said Durkin.