Blocked punt changes Fayson's career

[IHateUGAlyDawgs]

The punt blocked by sophomore Jarred Fayson in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game against Arkansas changed more than the Gators fortunes. It had a resoundingly positive effect on the Tampa native who was struggling with his lack of playing time.

“It changed my whole football career,” he said. “Coming out of high school I was a quarterback, I was touching the ball every down and making plays. And then last year, I can count the plays that I made on both of my hands. To make a play in that big of a game, on that big of a stage, and to help change a game around that helps you mentally a lot.”

“I was going through little freshmen things,” he added. “I wanted to play, but I wasn’t ready to play. I just didn’t realize it at the time. He was just expressing that everybody goes through this and it just takes time. You just got to battle though it and it will work out for the better in the end. It just so happened the next day that I went out there and blocked the punt.

It was really a two-part success story. Fayson trusted in a wily veteran, who himself had to wait his turn. That veteran was Dallas Baker.
“We had great senior leadership last year,” Fayson recalled. “I was around a lot of guys, but, me, I didn’t express my feelings like that to a lot of guys. I just started talking to Dallas about it and he helped me out. I just felt relived and felt like I was just going to go out there and do whatever they ask me to do and be good at it.”

“I did play somewhat. I just about played in every big game. I wasn’t touching the football. I was out there blocking. .It was a little bit of pain, because I wanted to touch the ball and I wanted make plays, but I just had to wait.”

Fayson won’t have to wait on the touches this season. He has matured and figures to play a key role in the Gators offensive attack. One of the reasons for the optimism is found up front, where a veteran Florida line is expected to produce in a big way.

“That’s going to mean a lot,” Fayson stated.”That’s where it all begins. If you look at the wide receiver position the only person who has played is Bubba, everybody else has athletic ability but we haven’t played that much. That goes for Cornelius Ingram, Percy, myself, and Murph. None of us have played that much. We’re kind of inexperienced at the position a little bit. But, as far as the offensive line, that’s the leaders of our offense.”

There are always a few guys who put forth the effort in the strength and conditioning program and buy into the program. It’s most notable among the linemen and linebackers. Occasionally though a back or receiver makes a noted change. When I first saw Fayson this summer, I was impressed with the guns. He really has developed some muscularity in his arms. Obviously, his body is agreeing with everything Mickey Marotti and his staff have accomplished with Fayson.

“I was just in there lifting working hard trying to get bigger, faster, and stronger,” Fayson said. “Our strength coaches are so good that I can’t help but put on weight. Then they had monitor my lifting and I had to get on a diet. I was getting too big. They had to keep me at 205, because I was 210. I had to drop my weight down. I have a high metabolism, so I eat all the time. I just got done eating. Between as much as we lift and as hard as we lift you take your vitamins and treat your body right and of course, you’re going to progress and I just put on a lot of weight.”

Jarred Fayson was asked about Florida’s fiery head coach Urban Meyer. He responded with my choice for quote of the day…

“When I first got here he was still kind of upbeat. He’s still upbeat, real fiery, but he’s calmed down a little bit. He was from the north and he came down to the south and it’s totally different coaching styles. Even how they talk up there, they cuss like every other word up there. So, when we came out here it was something new to the guys and we all got adjusted to it and it worked out for the better, its fine.”

[a1bion]

Urban cusses? Say it isn't so!!!

Can you imagine what it's going to look like having Bubba, Percy, Fayson, and CI all out there at once? It's going to be scary watching that.

[radbag]

I very much enjoyed this article on fayson. Thanks hater! It prompted me to start a new thread on specail teams play this year.

I too am excited about seeing the spread with bubba, fayson, ingram and harvin. We will be stretching it out spread offense style for sure! Let's just hope these guys are in the majority of the time because we're controlling games late and we're just not sitting on leads.

Makes me think that hernandez will NOT see the field this year with two ahead of him already and the multitude of linemen ready to shuffle in when short yardage is needed.

[a1bion]

I too am excited about seeing the spread with bubba, fayson, ingram and harvin. We will be stretching it out spread offense style for sure! Let's just hope these guys are in the majority of the time because we're controlling games late and we're just not sitting on leads.

It's going to be like a video game with those four in there.

[G8Rpmc]

My seat during the games are next to Fayson's high school football coach. I had fun last year learning just a little about the player. His hs coach says he is a really fine young man. His coach was Ken Russell. He played at UF in the 80's and his dad played in the 60's under Ray Graves. There is a pic of Coach Graves being held up by 2 Gator players that is usually seen in books about the Gators. The player on the right holding up Graves is Ken Russel Sr.

Just some more Gator trivia for ya.

I'm looking forward to seeing Ken Jr again and watching him watch Fayson play. Ken gets soooo excited when Fayson is on the field! Geeze....I just love being a Gator! [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif[/img]