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Inside the Camp: Florida Gators

Most residents of Florida will know of the Gators, the state’s dominant college football team. They compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA and the Eastern Division of the SEC.

College football is so important to young up-and-coming athletes as it allows them to raise their chances of going professional. A string of great performances can allow the best players to get drafted into the NFL, the top-flight football league in America.

Though in some places college football is held in higher regard, many of the Gators this season will be trying to impress in hopes that they will be selected as one of the NFL’s 256 drafted players come springtime.

Who are expected to be the star names for the Gators in the 2021 season?

Tre’Vez Johnson, a defensive back for the Gators, is one of these aspiring talents. Rather unusually, Johnson grew up playing football and baseball together, but a shoulder injury soon saw him have to give up the baseball side of his life. Fortunately, he was still able to focus on his football and eventually progress far enough to join the Gators in 2020, where he now competes for a starting job in the secondary.

Johnson is the stepson to Willie Harris, who is the coach of the Chicago Cubs. The Gator player attributes much of his drive to watching his stepdad play and coach baseball from a young age, stating “He has a lot to do with my motivation now, playing and try to make it to the next level”. Even though Harris is concerned with baseball, it seems his influence stretches from the diamond to the football field.

The youngster has been seen to perform at an average level, but Johnson acknowledges that he needs to step up his game to truly compete at the next level, “Right now, I’m just working on improving every day, trying to progress every day, get better every day in one little aspect of my game”. Looking at the numbers from Johnson’s freshman season, they are rather modest. In 12 games: Johnson made 15 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups.

Another player will be looking to the approaching season to demonstrate his prowess and natural ability – Anthony Richardson. While many Floridians who follow the sport will have been looking at the sensational Emory Jones, Richardson acts as Jones’ backup and is often underrated.

Head Coach of the Gators Dan Mullen was quick to sing the young man’s praises after the team’s first game last week saying, “Did really well, made a lot of great decisions. Very accurate. I think he threw three touchdown passes”. It is clear that the coach has faith in Richardson and fans of him can expect only good things to come. With the season beginning this coming weekend, players of college football will be hoping to display their best talents in the hope of ascending from their respective leagues.

Will Floridians be able to place online bets on the Gators soon?

As with most sports, college football attracts a popular betting scene and those who live in Florida will be happy to learn the state is planning to legalize sports betting by the end of the year, via a deal with the Seminole Tribe. And although the online casino vertical won’t get the green light quite as soon as this year, Floridian gambling fans will be happy to know that sports betting will be allowed in some form as early as October 15th.