Marcus Gilbert - Necessity To Change
Sunday, September 26, 2010 | Football
By Susie Epp, UF Communications
When current senior Marcus Gilbert arrived on the University of Florida campus in 2006, he was 270 pounds and had been playing the tight end position since his sophomore year in high school. He came out of St. Thomas Aquinas during a time when he was overshadowed by teammates Dan Wenger and Sam Young, who both committed to Notre Dame and grabbed all of the headlines. For Gilbert, the transition into college and the college game were not easy.
“He had some immaturity early in his career,” said offensive line coach Steve Addazio.
Gilbert saw time in a couple of games during the Gators' National Championship season in 2006, but still had not found his role as a college player or student.
“He (Gilbert) was a guy that was one foot in and one foot out for about two years,” said Florida head coach Urban Meyer. “We were going to throw him out of here because he didn't buy into the academics, the expectations and the workload.”
Soon after for Gilbert, things started to change for the better.
In 2009, he played in and started all 14 of Florida's games, including the 2009 SEC Championship Game and the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl. He was named the Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts against Kentucky on Sept. 26 and graded out a Champion by his coaches six times during the season.
His performance on the field in 2009 earned him Preseason All-SEC Second-Team honors for 2010 and was dubbed a “leader on Florida's offense” by FoxSportsFlorida.com's Laura McKeeman.
Gilbert credits his turnaround to the close relationships forged with his coaches and parents, but also to a very special person in his life—his grandmother, Lula Mae Walker.
“She is the backbone of our family,” said Gilbert. “She always brings everyone together and keeps us all on the right track.”
Since Gilbert was a little boy growing up in Ft. Lauderdale, he has spent countless hours at her house down the street and remembers several specific times that he holds close to his heart.
During the summer, his grandmother would take all her grandsons to the grocery store to stock up on food. During every trip, she would also buy her grandsons animal crackers, a treat that Gilbert was very fond of.
Gilbert still remembers those trips warmly, as well as the times he and his two sisters would go to his grandmother's house to play with their cousins.
“She lived right down the road from us when I was growing up,” said Gilbert. “So after school, or when my parents would go to work, we would just go hang out there.”
Gilbert and his family would spend many hours playing outside with his cousins and the neighbor children. Not surprisingly, they played street football and basketball.
“We would get big games of football and basketball going with all my cousins and the neighbor kids,” said Gilbert. “We played every day, for hours and hours.”
When Sunday came around, Walker would cook for her entire family.
“We had every kind of soul food you can think of,” said Gilbert. “Fried chicken, ribs, collard greens, macaroni and cheese—you name it, she made it. I always remember her waiting for everyone else to sit down and eat until everyone else was served.”
In high school, Walker made it to most of Gilbert's football games, but she has yet to make it to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to see one of his college games wearing the orange and blue.
“She always watches the games on television,” said Gilbert. “I would like her to be able to come to The Swamp before I graduate though.”
When Gilbert has time to go back to Ft. Lauderdale, he makes time to stop by his grandmother's house.
“I always make time to see her when I go home,” said Gilbert. “I help her around the house, help her with any yard work and take her to the store.”
While he is busy at Florida studying and playing football, Gilbert still makes time for his grandmother in his life.
“I talk to her a couple of times a week,” said Gilbert. “I just want to talk to her and check up on her and see how she is doing.”
Walker continues to offer her grandson advice.
“She still talks to me about staying on the right track,” said Gilbert. “She always tells me that it is really important that I get a degree while I'm here.”
She also is not afraid to give Gilbert football advice.
“She stresses doing well in the classroom, but she also wants me to play well,” said Gilbert. “She always says, 'don't let anyone push you around out there on the field.'”
In 2010, Gilbert has taken her advice to heart. He will graduate with a bachelor's degree in Family, Youth and Community Sciences this year.
On the field, Gilbert has proven himself to be one of the team's most significant contributors. He graded out a Champion in Florida's first two victories over Miami University and USF. In fact, through the Gators' first two contests, Gilbert and his offensive linemates have surrendered only one sack. Coach Addazio has even gone so far as to describe his play as 'unbelievable.'
“His maturity as a player and a person have really grown,” said Addazio. “He's becoming one of the finest linemen in America. He's playing at that kind of level.”
Gilbert's hard work and improvement have also impressed Coach Meyer.
“Marcus is going to graduate from Florida,” said Meyer. “He will have an opportunity to play at the next level, and he is one of our most consistent linemen.”
Coach Meyer sees how important family and relationships have been in Gilbert's growth.
“That's just one of those great stories, when you have a great mom and dad, which he has, and a position coach who is just non-stop on him and then obviously the God-given tools,” said Meyer. “He has turned into one of our better linemen. He is very consistent right now.”
In the remaining games in the 2010 season, Gilbert hopes to convince his grandmother to come see his improvement in person.
“She loves football,” said Gilbert. “I would love to get her to a game here, so she can see football at its best.”
