Gators Offensive Lineman Mason Halter to Share His Fordham-to-Florida Homecoming
Friday, November 6, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Nick Glogau spent Thursday in his Manhattan office amidst the hustle and bustle of investment banking in New York City.
By late Friday morning, Glogau and six friends had already checked into their local hotel and took a dip in the pool under the warm Florida sunshine.
A year ago Glogau was a reserve quarterback at Fordham University in the Rose Hill section of the Bronx, where he was a teammate of Gators graduate transfer Mason Halter.
Fordham crushed Rhode Island 54-7 on homecoming in front of a packed house of 6,979 at Jack Coffey Field.
Glogau expects a much different homecoming experience Saturday when the No. 11-ranked Gators (7-1, 5-1) host Vanderbilt (3-5, 1-4) with an opportunity to clinch their first SEC East title in six years.
Oh, with his good friend Halter starting on the offensive line.
“We're all happy for him,'' Glogau said. “Wow, is this happening?”
A story like Halter's takes time to sink in. Eight games into his Florida career, the fifth-year graduate student still has days when he wonders how it all came together so fast.
“This ride has been so crazy,'' he said. “Life changed so quick.”
A two-time FCS All-American at Fordham, Halter finished his senior season with another year of eligibility remaining. He did not play as a freshman after contracting mononucleosis. However, the Patriot League has a no-redshirt policy.
Halter wasn't ready to say goodbye to the game, so he explored his options. He took a visit to Stony Brook, drew interest from Delaware, and at one point verbally committed to Old Dominion.
And then the Gators, in dire need of bolstering their offensive line depth in their first season under head coach Jim McElwain, entered the picture.
“We knew he would play at Old Dominion,'' said Greg Halter, Mason's father. “At Florida we had no idea if he would even get on the field. He went with the greater-exposure opportunity and so far it's worked out.”
Halter has started every game, primarily at right tackle. With starting left tackle David Sharpe hobbled by a foot injury, Halter shifted sides this week in preparation for Vanderbilt.
Compared to what he has experienced the past four months, switching positions is no big deal.
The day Halter showed up in July, the first player he met was true freshman running back Jordan Scarlett. The two started talking and Halter immediately realized playing at Florida in the SEC was going to be different.
Way different.
“I came in and we were walking over to get our books or something,'' Halter said. “He looked like he was a senior, and then he said he was a freshman. I knew I had stepped into unknown territory.”
“I told him he could be a guard in D-II or D-III.”
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Halter's transition from Fordham has gone as well as he could have hoped in his size 17 sneakers.
Friends such as ex-Fordham teammates Glogau and defensive lineman Roman Herman quiz him often in group texts about the differences of playing at a school like Florida compared to Fordham, where the stadium features bleaches on just one side of the field.
While others are surprised at Halter's smooth adjustment, they are not.
“From the football side of things, having played with him for four years, we all knew he could do it,'' Glogau said. “We've seen him be an All-American. We've seen him on the practice field. He would play point guard for our pick-up basketball team.
“We could see the guy was pretty athletic. By junior and senior year, he was just a dominant player.”
Rather than dominant, efficient better describes Halter at UF. His experience helped him quickly adjust to his new environment and the high caliber of competition.
He helped slow down potential No. 1 overall draft pick Robert Nkemdiche in Florida's victory over Ole Miss earlier in the season. His versatility helps offensive line coach Mike Summers when he needs to tweak the rotation due to injuries. And his stellar play has provided a young offensive line with a rock of reliability.
Halter was uncertain how it would work out when he accepted Florida's offer, but after performing well in the season opener against New Mexico State, he felt he belonged.
“I was confident in my ability but nervous of what could happen,'' he said. “[The first game] made me feel a lot better about myself and making the choice.”
Meanwhile, his group of buddies back in New York have gathered all season in a bar to watch the Gators play. They finally get to see him in person on Saturday.
Halter's family will also be on hand. Greg is making the trip from Arlington, Va., where he took a job recently. His wife, Linda, is traveling from their home in Hinkley, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Sister Abigail is coming from St. Louis, where she is a freshman at St. Louis University, and brother Andrew plans to drive up from Florida Gulf Coast University, where he is currently studying.
Glogau is ready to watch Halter from a different perspective.
“We're not missing this opportunity to go see Mason play at The Swamp,'' he said. “We have to see him play. This is going to be the coolest experience of our football lives. This is such an opportunity for him, and for us to be able to see him live in action, stuff you sort of dream about.”
Halter won't get to hang out with his friends until after the game. The rare noon start gives them plenty of time afterward to catch up.
Just like old times.
“I've been playing noon games all my life,'' Halter said.
