Linebacker Cristian Garcia achieved a goal he had been working toward for three years on Sunday when head coach Jim McElwain met with him in his office. (Photo: Allison Curry/UAA Communications)
Long Climb: Gators LB Garcia Fulfills Dream of Earning Scholarship
Wednesday, August 23, 2017 | Football
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Garcia joined the program as a member of the video staff and started his first career game in the Outback Bowl.
By: Tyler Savitsky, Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Cristian Garcia has overcome many obstacles to reach where he is today.
In 2013, Garcia was eighth in tackles for Malone College, a Division II school in Ohio which finished that season with two wins and nine losses. He transferred to Florida Tech after the season, but left there after one semester.
By fall of 2014, he was on the Gators' video staff while attending Santa Fe College. He had to be at practice an hour early to set up cameras and stayed 30 minutes late to cut up film for the coaches and players.
Garcia recently participated in commencement ceremonies.
He took the job to make connections, and he found one in George Wynn, Florida's assistant athletic director of football operations.
"It's well-deserved. He's a guy that obviously played critical for us a year ago,'' McElwain said Wednesday. "Not only that, but you're talking about a guy that does it right. The guys really respect him and he's going to be a big part of what we do."
A fifth-year senior, Garcia will play a major role on the special teams unit and will get some time with the defense as a reserve linebacker.
"I expect to be backing up every position at Mike, Sam and Will," he said. "You'll see me on defense this year. I'll play wherever they need me."
VIDEO: Gators head coach Jim McElwain's press conference on Wednesday.
His road at Florida has not been easy.
Before even making the team as a walk-on in 2015, he had to get a sickle-cell blood test to try out. Garcia had taken one since he started college and that he would be fine, but the trainer said he wasn't able to try out.
"I was devastated," Garcia said. "It was about 5:30 in the morning and I was crying outside of the building and it was still dark out and I went back upstairs to George Wynn and I begged him to give me a tryout and he pulled through for me and let me do the sickle-cell blood test a little later."
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon and Wynn told Garcia to visit his office. Someone wanted to meet with him. Wynn took him to McElwain's office where the head coach delivered the news.
"I told him I was so grateful and he said don't be grateful or thank me because you earned it," Garcia said.
Since being awarded his full scholarship, fellow linebacker Vosean Joseph yells, "Scholly, scholly" every time he sees Garcia.
Garcia was exclusively on the scout team in 2015 until a practice a couple of weeks before the Citrus Bowl against Michigan when McElwain ran some practices without the seniors.
"I had been honing in on the defense all year, just waiting, I was literally salivating like a lion who hadn't eaten in two weeks," Garcia said. "So, I was ready to pounce and I gave it my all those three practices and from then I jumped up off the scout team."
He played in the Michigan game and had two tackles.
Garcia had seven tackles in 2016, including a career-high five in the Outback Bowl victory against Iowa. That game was his first career start.
"When I was on the video team I would watch the walk-ons put on their scout team jerseys and I would tell my buddies I would wear that jersey with pride and give it my all every day," he said. "Not knowing that I would ever be on the field and earn a scholarship."
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