Javier Estopinan - Walking Tall
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 | Football
By: Kate Manly, UF Communications
Coaches often talk about perseverance and determination when describing attributes that make a good athlete. University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer likes to use the term “relentless effort.” Either way, redshirt senior Javier Estopinan fits the mold. In an era when many college athletes leave one, two or even three years early to enter the professional leagues, the fifth-year senior is a seasoned veteran at the age of 22.
Although his years at Florida may not have played out exactly how he expected, Estopinan has made a lasting mark on the Gator football program. Recruited out of South Miami High School, he was rated No. 21 among linebackers in the country. After considering Ohio State, N.C. State and in-state rivals Miami and Florida State, Estopinan chose Florida and joined the team as a linebacker in 2004. He was one of eight true freshmen to see game action that year, participating in 36 plays in four games.
Estopinan faced his first of a series of setbacks at Florida heading into his sophomore season. After tearing anterior cruciate ligaments in both knees, there was no other option but for him to take a medical redshirt. His sophomore season also marked the arrival of Meyer, and although he was not recruited by him, Estopinan and his new head coach forged a tight-knit relationship of mutual admiration and respect.
“One thing about our program is there are certain players you like, and there are some players that you really don't like at all,” said Meyer. “Javier is one of those that you don't like, you love him. He's a representative of this great University: a good student, a good person, who comes from a great family and is extremely unselfish.”
Things were looking up for Estopinan heading into the 2006 season. His redshirt season allowed him to recover and rehab his knees and he earned his first career start versus Alabama, notching a career-high three tackles during the 28-13 win. Former defensive line coach Greg Mattison saw something special in Estopinan and asked him if he would be interested in moving to the D-line. Fortunately, he made the transition from linebacker to defensive tackle appear seamless.
“The switch was hard, but you're in a learning process, and I was learning from some of the best D-linemen in the country,” Estopinan said. “That made it fairly easy.”
He earned his first career start on the line in the Homecoming match-up versus No. 9 LSU, a contest that featured an appearance by ESPN's College GameDay crew and was broadcast nationally by CBS. It was during that same game where Estopinan would suffer yet another blow. After making a hard cut to record a tackle, his knee gave out. For the second time in his short career at Florida, Estopinan would receive the dreaded news from the medical staff: he was out for the remainder of the season.
Despite not being on the field with his teammates, Estopinan was there for every triumph and every setback on the Gators' march to the 2006 SEC and Tostitos BCS National Championship titles. Although Estopinan could revel in the success of the squad, it was a bittersweet feeling to watch his teammates hoist the crystal ball representing the national crown in the air.
“It was very frustrating,” Estopinan said of the 2006 season. “I finally worked my way up to the starting spot and worked hard all year to earn a spot in the lineup and seeing my teammates play in the SEC Championship Game and win the national championship while I was sitting on the sideline instead of starting was frustrating.”
Things began to fall into place for him as a redshirt junior in 2007. Estopinan started the first eight games of the season at defensive tackle, recording 19 tackles, more than double the amount of 2004 and 2006 combined. His first career sack came in the Orange and Blue's shootout road victory over eighth-ranked Kentucky, 45-37. The following game, Estopinan re-injured his knee and once again, was sidelined for the remaining five games.
Many medical experts would explain that even one ACL injury is tough to battle back from, two seems almost impossible. In the 2008 off-season, Estopinan prepared to return to action following his third torn ACL. Although it seems unfeasible, first-year defensive line coach Dan McCarney would testify that if anyone could do it, Estopinan would have the perseverance to overcome the injury.
“I've never heard of it, I've never seen it before,” said McCarney. “It's an amazing inspiration every day to come to practice and see someone who still wants to be part of the team.”
There was never a doubt in Estopinan's mind that he would recover from his latest injury and don the Orange and Blue once again.
“It's my senior year, it's what I have looked forward to and it's what I have worked for my entire college career,” the Miami native said. “I knew I was coming back the whole time. It just makes it a little tougher because it was my third one, and maybe there is a little psychological game there.”
Another aspect of his senior year that Estopinan is looking forward to is the chance to face off versus a team from his home territory, the University of Miami. Estopinan has watched the rivalry between the Gators and the Hurricanes grow throughout the years, but this season will mark the first time that he will actually face many of his former classmates and teammates from his childhood. What better place to do so than in The Swamp on a steamy Saturday night under the lights.
In addition to being a warrior on the gridiron, Estopinan shows the same drive off the field. After earning a degree in Geography in May of 2008 and becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college, Estopinan became one of four Gator football players to enroll in graduate school and will focus on building construction. The two-time UF Football Leadership Committee member was also selected by his teammates to be a team captain.
Whether it is on the football field or in the classroom, Estopinan serves as a living reminder to his coaches, teammates and the entire Gator Nation that through hard work and determination, anything is possible.
“I'll use Javier as an example for however many years I remain in coaching, believe me,” McCarney said. “He's as tough as they come.”
-UF-
