Pridemore: "Just get me on the field"
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:10 pm
The tough part for T.J. Pridemore is watching. He desperately wants to run on the field and hit somebody but instead, he just stands around and watches. This isn’t what he’s used to in the spring, but it’s just a matter of time before all that changes.
Pridemore was down in Gainesville for the weekend, absorbing everything he could at Florida’s Friday practice and Saturday scrimmage. He spent time with the coaches before and after practice, got to know future teammates and measured two positions for a future fit.
Signed as a fullback for the Florida recruiting class of 2008, Pridemore was an all-state linebacker at Buford, Georgia where he and Omar Hunter were the main cogs in an unbeaten state championship season in 2007. Hunter, the best nose tackle in the country last year, will be joining Pridemore at the University of Florida.
Throughout the weekend, Pridemore spent plenty of time talking and texting Hunter, his good friend who wanted to know everything that’s going on in Gainesville.
“I talked to Omar last night and the night before,” said Pridemore, a 6-3, 235-pounder whose dad Tom played safety for eight years in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. “He keeps calling me and asking me what’s going on down there? He’s really getting excited about getting down here. It’s killing him he’s not here this weekend.”
Pridemore was the middle linebacker the last four years at Buford and he’s used to playing behind Hunter. While Hunter commanded double and triple teams, Pridemore is the guy who got to clean up, taking on running backs that were devoid of blockers because all of them were occupied trying to stop that raging bull plowing his way into the backfield.
Pridemore says it doesn’t matter to him where he plays on the field, but every time he watches Florida’s defense, he has a yearning to play middle linebacker again. He’s been spending as much time in defensive coordinator Charlie Strong’s office as he has the office of offensive coordinator Dan Mullen.
“I’ve been in there with Coach Strong watching film a lot,” said Pridemore. “Coach Strong keeps telling me I can be a linebacker here. He keeps getting me to come to his meetings and trying to get me to play linebacker.”
He has been excited about Florida’s defensive plans ever since he met new defensive line coach Dan McCarney at Hunter’s home shortly after national signing day. McCarney, formerly the head coach at Iowa State and last year the defensive line coach at USF, joined the Florida staff a couple of days after signing day, right after Greg Mattison left UF to join the defensive staff of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL.
“Coach McCarney came up [to Buford} as soon as he got the job,” said Pridemore. “He came to Omar’s house and I met him there. We talked about all kinds of stuff and what they’re going to do on defense and not much is going to change between him and Coach Mattison. I got excited listening to Coach McCarney. He’s high energy and he makes you want to play for him.”
There is plenty of appeal to sticking with the defensive side of the ball since that’s where he made his bones at the high school level. You could say that defense is in his blood, too, since his dad is one of the all-time defensive greats at West Virginia (teammate of former UF associate head coach Doc Holliday; still holds the WVU career record for interceptions) and an eight-year starter at safety in the NFL.
But where he plays isn’t as much a bid deal as just getting on the field and contributing somewhere.
“Fullback’s a great idea but honestly, I’ve always played linebacker and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do but however I can contribute to the Gators winning, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’ll play anywhere they want me to play, just get me on the field somewhere.”
Where he plays will be determined at a later date. For now, all he can do is watch and feel the competitive juices stirring. Watching film, talking to coaches and watching practice has only fired him up.
“It’s good stuff down here,” he said. “Everything down here is competitive. What I love about Florida is I can be the best player I can be here. They are going to push you, push you and push you. They mold you into the best player that anybody can be. They get the most out of their players here and you can’t say that about everyone.”
Pridemore was down in Gainesville for the weekend, absorbing everything he could at Florida’s Friday practice and Saturday scrimmage. He spent time with the coaches before and after practice, got to know future teammates and measured two positions for a future fit.
Signed as a fullback for the Florida recruiting class of 2008, Pridemore was an all-state linebacker at Buford, Georgia where he and Omar Hunter were the main cogs in an unbeaten state championship season in 2007. Hunter, the best nose tackle in the country last year, will be joining Pridemore at the University of Florida.
Throughout the weekend, Pridemore spent plenty of time talking and texting Hunter, his good friend who wanted to know everything that’s going on in Gainesville.
“I talked to Omar last night and the night before,” said Pridemore, a 6-3, 235-pounder whose dad Tom played safety for eight years in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. “He keeps calling me and asking me what’s going on down there? He’s really getting excited about getting down here. It’s killing him he’s not here this weekend.”
Pridemore was the middle linebacker the last four years at Buford and he’s used to playing behind Hunter. While Hunter commanded double and triple teams, Pridemore is the guy who got to clean up, taking on running backs that were devoid of blockers because all of them were occupied trying to stop that raging bull plowing his way into the backfield.
Pridemore says it doesn’t matter to him where he plays on the field, but every time he watches Florida’s defense, he has a yearning to play middle linebacker again. He’s been spending as much time in defensive coordinator Charlie Strong’s office as he has the office of offensive coordinator Dan Mullen.
“I’ve been in there with Coach Strong watching film a lot,” said Pridemore. “Coach Strong keeps telling me I can be a linebacker here. He keeps getting me to come to his meetings and trying to get me to play linebacker.”
He has been excited about Florida’s defensive plans ever since he met new defensive line coach Dan McCarney at Hunter’s home shortly after national signing day. McCarney, formerly the head coach at Iowa State and last year the defensive line coach at USF, joined the Florida staff a couple of days after signing day, right after Greg Mattison left UF to join the defensive staff of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL.
“Coach McCarney came up [to Buford} as soon as he got the job,” said Pridemore. “He came to Omar’s house and I met him there. We talked about all kinds of stuff and what they’re going to do on defense and not much is going to change between him and Coach Mattison. I got excited listening to Coach McCarney. He’s high energy and he makes you want to play for him.”
There is plenty of appeal to sticking with the defensive side of the ball since that’s where he made his bones at the high school level. You could say that defense is in his blood, too, since his dad is one of the all-time defensive greats at West Virginia (teammate of former UF associate head coach Doc Holliday; still holds the WVU career record for interceptions) and an eight-year starter at safety in the NFL.
But where he plays isn’t as much a bid deal as just getting on the field and contributing somewhere.
“Fullback’s a great idea but honestly, I’ve always played linebacker and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do but however I can contribute to the Gators winning, that’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’ll play anywhere they want me to play, just get me on the field somewhere.”
Where he plays will be determined at a later date. For now, all he can do is watch and feel the competitive juices stirring. Watching film, talking to coaches and watching practice has only fired him up.
“It’s good stuff down here,” he said. “Everything down here is competitive. What I love about Florida is I can be the best player I can be here. They are going to push you, push you and push you. They mold you into the best player that anybody can be. They get the most out of their players here and you can’t say that about everyone.”