Gators running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider is excited about a pair of talented backs the Gators signed of National Signing Day. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Pierce and Clement Bring Versatility to Gators' Backfield
Tuesday, December 26, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter
Running backs Dameon Pierce and Iverson Clement offer different looks for defenses.
The highly-coveted Pierce had ample options where to play at the next level, originally committing to Alabama. Meanwhile, Florida, Georgia, Clemson, Florida State and most of the South's blue bloods offered Pierce an opportunity to play college football on their dime should he change his mind.
Once Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who also starred at Bainbridge High, came after Pierce many expected him to end up in Athens.
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Seider stayed persistent, and when Pierce made a visit to Florida's campus along with his mother, Shameeka Rogers, the dynamic changed. Rogers had not gone on some of her son's other visits but wanted to check out what UF, four hours from home, had to offer.
"Just hit it off with the family well,'' Seider, Florida's running backs coach, said on National Signing Day last week. "Did a good job of getting momma on campus."
Pierce told his hometown newspaper, The Post Searchlight, that Seider played a big role in his decision.
"That has a lot to do with my running back coach,'' Pierce said. "As long as he is there, I'm there."
When the 5-foot-11, 208-pound Pierce stayed true to his commitment to Florida and signed with the Gators on Wednesday, he was the first player to send in his National Letter of Intent to head coach Dan Mullen.
Mullen gave Pierce a public shoutout during his NSD press conference.
"I texted him that,'' Mullen said. "I said, 'you're always going to have a special place in my heart because you are the first signee for me as the head coach at the University of Florida, so that's not something I'm going to forget.' That's the first person that officially bought in to what we're doing and got his papers in."
The Gators enter Mullen's first season with a talented crop of running backs despite the loss of senior Mark Thompson and the uncertainty surrounding 2016 leading rusher Jordan Scarlett (suspended in 2017) and Malik Davis (season-ending knee surgery).
Sophomore Lamical Perine took over as the team's primary go-to option once Davis, a freshman who reeled off five consecutive games of 90 or more yards – including a career-high 124-yard outing in a victory over Vanderbilt – suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 42-7 loss to Georgia that required surgery and more extensive rehab in the coming months.
Perine finished with a team-high 562 yards and eight touchdowns. In addition, true freshman Adarius Lemons received more opportunities with Davis sidelined and posted a career-high 89 yards on 11 carries in the victory over UAB.
Pierce passed Georgia legend Herschel Walker on the state's all-time rushing list as a senior and finished his career ranked ninth overall. He rushed for 2,123 yards as a senior and became somewhat of a folk hero back in Bainbridge, usually staying on the field to sign autographs well after most of his teammates had gone to the locker room after games.
"He's an SEC back. Good luck tackling this kid in the future," Seider said. "He's got that on-off switch. When he hits that field, he turns it up. It's impressive watching that kid play. He got something to him that you just can't coach. He's a kid that could be hard to keep off the field."
While Pierce churns out yards on the ground, Iverson Clement racked them up on the ground and through the air during his career at Rancocas Valley Regional High in Mount Holly, N.J. Clement rushed for 1,419 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He added 10 receptions and a pair of scores out of the backfield.
Clement impressed Seider by the way he creates mismatches for the defense.
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"He's so different than anyone we have on our roster,'' Seider said. "He has unbelievable ball skills. He catches like a receiver. Wanted to get a guy in here who was different. He can be a matchup problem. And he's good with the ball. He's a good running back. He brings a different element from catching the ball."
Clement visited Florida while on trips to the IMG Academy in Bradenton for seven-on-seven tournaments. He continued to show interest in the Gators as schools from the Northeast chased him. Seider developed a connection with Clement through a former teammate who now coaches in New Jersey and that helped Florida land the 5-foot-11, 199-pounder over offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and Baylor.
"He's a guy who is a playmaker in and out of the backfield,'' Mullen said. "What I want to do, offensively and defensively, is create mismatches out there on the field."
The additions of Pierce and Clement bolster one of Florida's strongest personnel groups.
"We've got some pretty good players in that room," Seider said.
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