Terron Sanders - Whatever It Takes
Sunday, November 29, 2009 | Football
By Stephen Kerkhof, UF Communications
With the number of injuries that have plagued the Gators' defensive tackle unit so far this season, the one constant has been redshirt junior Terron Sanders. After not starting the first three games this fall, he was called upon after injuries left the unit thin and has started every game since. The Bradenton, Fla., native has served as a reliable cog in the middle of the defensive line and has shown an ability to improve his game each and every Saturday.
“I think the improvement comes from wanting to be here and wanting to work hard for the seniors,” Sanders said. “I also want to make sure that I improve to the best of my abilities so that I don't leave anything out on the field and don't have any regrets. I have worked so hard to get to where I am, I don't want to have any more setbacks.”
The setbacks that Sanders mentions are a series of knee injuries, which date back to his high school career. When he was a senior at Southeast High School in Bradenton, he suffered a medial meniscus tear in his left knee that kept him from playing in all but two of his team's regular-season games. This was a major blow for Sanders but the positive attitude he is known for really began to show, even through adversity.
“It was tough,” Sanders said. “During my senior season, I continued to be a captain on the sideline for my high school team. I would attend the games and participate as much as I could because I grew up with a lot of my teammates and wanted to continue to support them.”
Unfortunately, the next year in Gainesville the problems resurfaced.
“Coming up here, I had to have another surgery on the same knee for the same thing and it was difficult,” Sanders said looking back. “It was hard to go from starting and playing in every game to not seeing any action on the field.”
The return of the knee injury his freshman year led him to taking a medical redshirt that season. Although many players redshirt their first year, it was hard for Sanders to adjust to not playing after having been such a key contributor his entire life playing football.
Although he had never had to deal with a situation like this before, he found a way through with the help of his family and coaches.
“It came down to discussions with Coach Meyer and my family and my defensive coaches,” said Sanders. “It required communication and effort on my part to make sure that I got myself on the right path and I realized that if I kept working then it was going to pay off, and so far it has.”
Sanders' hard work has certainly paid off. He played a key role as a starter for much of the year on the 2008 national championship team and has continued to contribute this season. Sanders is an important piece of a defense that has been widely regarded as one of the nation's best and had allowed a stingy 108 points through its first 11 games this season.
“I see myself as a team player,” Sanders said of his role on the team. “I am an accountable person on the defensive line who my team can rely on.”
The self-proclaimed “run stuffer” is not surprised at how well the defense has played as a unit after setting lofty expectations for themselves before the campaign began.
“We want to be the most dominant defense and we want to be seen on the field,” Sanders said. “We want to not only do the things that show up in the stats, but for there to never be any question as to who is winning the game.”
Gator fans know just how dominant this year's version of the Orange and Blue's defense can be. Although the defense has its own set of goals, its wishes to accomplish the ultimate goal are team wide.
“Our main goal is to win every week,” Sanders said. “If it's not as pretty as we want it to be, we will come back out to practice and have the maturity level to fix the things that we didn't do well enough.”
Being part of an intense football atmosphere that requires a huge time commitment, it would be easy for players to forget about the other important aspects of life. However, Sanders has made it a point to keep these things a priority and has been an active member of Goodwill Gators, the University Athletic Association's community outreach program, since he arrived in Gainesville. He has spoken to and visited with children at local elementary schools and volunteered his time at Shands Medical Plaza.
“We go out there with the kids and play basketball or other games,” Sanders said. “I have also spoken to the kids about what I've been through, and my journey to this point and what I have realized to be most important as far as education. I'm just trying to give back to the community and showing people that it's not all about football for us, it's about giving back to the people that have been there for us year-in and year-out.”
The benefit Sanders receives from giving so much of his time is purely intrinsic, as he truly embraces his role model status as an elite football player at a top university.
“I enjoy seeing people grow up and mature knowing that I had a positive impact on the growing process of these kids,” Sanders said.
In his time at Florida, Sanders has shown himself to be an extraordinary player and person. He has stated many times how much he loves being a Gator, and whether it is on the football field or in the community, the rest of The Gator Nation is fortunate to have him on its side.
-UF-
