Cade Holliday - Special Standout
Sunday, November 29, 2009 | Football
By Kelly Bornemann, UF Communications
Knowing that today's clash with Florida State is his last game in The Swamp, Cade Holliday isn't ready to leave. With a whirlwind of experiences marking his last five years, the redshirt senior is one of seven players remaining from head coach Urban Meyer's first season with the Florida Gators.
His father, John 'Doc' Holliday, was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator upon Cade's arrival in Gainesville, but he didn't offer his son any advantages over other players other than his company. As a walk-on during his freshman year, Holliday was determined to prove himself to the coaching staff and his teammates by making it onto the field.
“Coming out of high school, I was just trying to do whatever I could do to make the team and do my part,” Holliday said. “Playing on special teams is how I was able to get on the field and I take a lot of pride in doing it right.”
After spending his first year on the scout team, where he learned the different plays and the fundamentals of college football, Holliday earned his position on the kickoff unit, where he has dominated ever since. Covering kickoff and punt returns in more than 50 games in the past four seasons, Holliday understands the significance of special teams.
“We take a lot of pride in it,” Holliday said. “We understand the importance of pinning the other team inside of the 20-yard line and making them drive the distance of the field against our defense.”
Special teams is regarded as something more than, well, special here at Florida, where Meyer doubles as special teams' coordinator and has taken on the role of making them one of the top return units in the nation.
“They work harder than any segment of our team,” Meyer said. “You must be a man's man to come walking in here and they perform really well for us.”
Leading the Southeastern Conference in average starting field position and best opponent starting field position, the players know that being on special teams at Florida is different than most schools.
“Some schools just run through special teams' preparation,” Holliday said. “Here with Coach Meyer, it's pretty intense. We watch a lot of film and we practice play after play throughout the week so that we can get it done on game day.”
Their preparation is highly noted, as the Gator special teams' unit has held powerhouse players from several SEC schools to an average of 21 yards a return this season. After allowing just 13 punt return yards so far this year, UF is ranked second in the nation and first for the least amount of punt return yards since 2005. For members of the special teams' forces, their competitive drive comes natural as several starting defensive and offensive members also play on the unit.
“We talk before and see who can get down there and make the big hit,” Holliday said. “It's a competition.”
Just seconds before a kickoff or punt, fans can see the energy radiating off the players as they line the field and prepare to run. But keeping their energy high and staying motivated isn't a challenge for this team.
“It's easy here because each week you're ultimately playing for a championship, you have to win every game you play,” Holliday said. “I watch games on television and think, 'How could you play anywhere else other than Florida?'”
Off the field, Meyer makes sure the guys know when they've made him proud, or when they've missed a play and often singles out his special teams' personnel with special privileges. Whether he's letting them eat first at the training table, handing out a championship ring first, or simply congratulating them individually at his weekly press conferences, Meyer really takes his unit to heart.
“A big part of the program is player development and they all start on the kicking game,” Meyer said earlier this month. “The correlation between that and winning games can't get any stronger.”
In Holliday's five years in Gainesville, he's played in two SEC Championship Games, two National Championship games and numerous games in The Swamp. He's even added a touchdown to his list of experiences with his first career reception for a touchdown on a nine-yard pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback John Brantley in the season-opening 62-3 win over Charleston Southern in September.
While his time playing for the Gators may be coming to an end with his upcoming graduation and degree in Food and Agribusiness Managment, for Holliday the experiences will last a lifetime.
“It's been unbelievable,” Holliday said. “I'm not sure if I'm ready for it to be done or not yet, but it's definitely been life changing.”
-UF-
