GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael McNeely will be at EverBank Field on Saturday.
No way the former Gators walk-on would miss this one.
But instead of pulling on his No. 31 jersey and scoring a momentum-shifting touchdown like he did in Florida's 38-20 victory over Georgia last year – instantly becoming a Florida football folk hero – McNeely has a different kind of day planned.
First, he is going to former Gators long-snapper James Smith's tailgate to celebrate Smith's 30th birthday.
Once McNeely goes inside and finds his seat, he will keep a close eye on his brother Mark McNeely.
"He plays center snare in the drumline this year,'' McNeely said Wednesday. "I never got to see him perform before. It's been really nice to watch him play."
Finally, as kickoff nears, McNeely expects to feel that familiar pull deep in his gut.
"I still expect to run down on kickoff, but of course, that's not going to happen,'' he said.
To everyone's surprise, including his, McNeely became one of the best stories in college football in 2014 thanks to a play called "Dawg."
Florida trailed Georgia 7-0 and faced a fourth-and-9 midway through the second quarter. The Gators needed a spark and had practiced "Dawg" all week.
As they lined up for a Frankie Velez field-goal attempt, it was time.
The holder on the play, McNeely took the snap, jumped up and darted toward the right sideline. He found a hole, made a couple of moves, and 21 yards later was in the end zone.
The play was arguably Florida's biggest of the season and the Gators upset the No. 9-ranked Bulldogs in a game few gave them a chance.
"I never would have expected it in a thousand years," McNeely said. "It's a huge blessing."
The next morning, McNeely showed up for his job as a cashier/bag boy at Publix. A photo of him at work went viral on social media.
The unassuming, polite-as-the-kid-next-door McNeely was suddenly a celebrity.
A year later and McNeely is back at UF in medical school. He started in August and life is much different.
For the first time in many years McNeely's fall afternoons don't include football practice. Instead, a lot of homework.
"The most studying I've ever done,'' said McNeely.
He spent the summer at home in Clearwater working, but when McNeely returned to UF to start fall classes, he retired after several years at Publix to focus on his intense classwork.
He has attended all of Florida's home games and watched the road games. He still tries to work out twice a week at The Swamp and got to meet new head coach Jim McElwain during training camp.
"I introduced myself and told him I'm a former player and going to medical school,'' he said. "When I told him that, he high-fived me. It's great to see him doing so well with the program.
"I still get to see some of the guys. It's nice to be around. It's a blessing. It's super exciting to see the guys doing so well. I'm pumped for them."
McNeely said he hasn't seen a replay this week of his touchdown but classmates have told him they have. As for the football he carried into the end zone on that sunny afternoon in Jacksonville, one of the team's trainers saw a replay of "Dawg" the week after the game and noticed some unique markings on the ball.
McNeely was so excited to score he said he never thought of keeping the ball. However, the trainer dug through Florida's supply of game balls and found it and gave it to McNeely.
The ball is now at McNeely's home in Clearwater. His playing days are over, but he'll always have the play.
Now he is just a fan. And that's fine with him.
"A completely different perspective,'' he said. "It's very weird. It's very different. Medical school is keeping me busy. So I have my hands full."
