Spikes Named Defensive Player of the Year
Friday, January 23, 2009 | Football
Gator junior linebacker Brandon Spikes (Shelby, N.C.) was named the Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year for his contributions, commitment and inspiring effort to the University of Florida defense this past season.
Spikes was the Gators' defensive leader during Florida's 2008 title run, racking up 93 total tackles, including 52 solo, as he helped lead UF to its second BCS national championship crown in three years. Spikes additionally picked off four balls in 2008, returning two of those interceptions for touchdowns. All four of his interceptions came against top-25 opponents, which tied for first among all players nationally and was the most by any linebacker in the country.
A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award, Spikes was one of five linebackers in the nation to have two interceptions returned for touchdowns last season. He has led the Gators in tackles in 10 of the last 17 games, recording 10-or-more tackles in five of his last 14 outings. Spikes was named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Rivals.com, The Sporting News and Walter Camp and was a first-team All-SEC recipient.
As the leader of the fourth-best scoring defense in the country, Spikes will receive a personalized Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year trophy, while Chevrolet will also donate $5,000 to the University of Florida's general scholarship fund.
-UF-
