Reese Eyes Win Over Wolverines to Launch a Healthy 2019

Junior linebacker David Reese during Thursday's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl press conference. (Photo: Paul Abell/Peach Bowl)

Reese Eyes Win Over Wolverines to Launch a Healthy 2019

Thursday, December 27, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

ATLANTA – Chauncey Gardner-Johnson recalled Thursday the first time he met teammate David Reese, a Michigan native who like Gardner-Johnson, joined the Gators in January 2016 as a mid-year enrollee.

Gardner-Johnson, a Florida kid who grew up in Cocoa, was a marquee signee that year along with other notable early enrollees such as quarterback Feleipe Franks, kicker Eddy Pineiro and transfers Mark Thompson and Dre Massey.

Gardner-Johnson was reared in the land of flip flops, Bermuda shorts and sun screen. A relative unknown to Gators fans at the time, Reese was not.

It didn't take long for Gardner-Johnson to realize one of his new roommates, a former Wolverines commit, came from unfamiliar territory.

"Reese, that cat's weird,'' Gardner-Johnson said. "Being from Michigan, when we first moved in together, with his big Timberlands. I ain't never seen Timberlands before."

Reese and Gardner-Johnson became roommates a day after the Gators got crushed by Michigan in the 2016 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Orlando. They eventually found common ground and became close friends, the outspoken Gardner-Johnson and mild-mannered Reese forming an unlikely bond.

Some of their early conversations touched on that Florida-Michigan game three years ago. They signed with the Gators to win bowl games, not get beat by 34 points. When the Gators lost again to the Wolverines to open the 2017 season, the defeat signaled trouble on the way to a 4-7 season and highlighted once again the gap between two of college football's blueblood programs.

As Gardner-Johnson prepares for the final game of his college career – he announced last month he plans to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft – Reese is chasing that elusive bowl win to launch the Gators into what he envisions as a banner senior season in 2019.

58050 — Despite missing the season's first three games, junior linebacker David Reese racked up 74 tackles in the regular season and leads the team with 8.2 stops per game. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

"I'm looking forward to next year,'' he said Thursday. "I'm very excited about what this team has to offer. I feel like we can do big things."

Florida (9-3) gets another shot at the Wolverines (10-2) on Saturday here at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the third time the schools have met in the Gators' last 38 games.

The Gators will depend heavily on Reese to snap Michigan's mastery in the series. As the quarterback of the defense and its leading tackler (8.2 per game), Reese has overcome a high-ankle sprain in preseason camp to produce at a high level.

Reese missed the first three games of the season and still isn't where he wants to be in what he calls the most difficult injury of his career to overcome. This from a player who played with two fractured wrists as a freshman that required surgery after the season.

"I had a nagging injury all season. I still don't feel 100 percent, but I'm excited to get out there,'' he said. "I want to finish this game out strong and be able to recover and just get ready for my senior year. I'm excited about that."

Reese made his season debut in Florida's 47-21 win at Tennessee on Sept. 22, showing little rust with 11 tackles. He had five games with 10 or more tackles, including 11 in Florida's signature win over LSU on Oct. 6.

First-year UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham had seen enough of Reese on film to know the Gators were without one of their most important players to start the season.

"David is a leader. David is a very conscientious guy. David gives the players around him some confidence and a calming effect in the sense he helps guys knows what to do, how to do it, and play,'' Grantham said. "All of that makes our team better.

"He's a physical presence. He has good instincts for the ball. He knows where the ball is. And he can tackle. All of those things have allowed him to be a really good player for us."

Reese wasn't sure what to expect when he first injured his ankle. He knew it was serious and that a likely inactive stretch awaited.

Senior defensive line Cece Jefferson, who along with Reese and teammate Martez Ivey traveled here for SEC Football Media Days in July, watched Reese handle the setback as he normally does. Instead of playing, Reese could only watch as one of the team's leaders.

"He's the guy that comes in, works hard every day, doesn't complain about anything,'' Jefferson said. "So generous, helps out his linebackers. He's a huge communicator, so that's huge on any football team. He's been that way since he stepped foot on campus."

Reese was ready to finally contribute once the pain and swelling subsided. Still, he was unable to move as freely as he'd like. The time off and numerous hours in the training room got him back on the field the week after the Gators' 31-game win streak over Kentucky ended.

"I was just going to play as soon as I felt good enough to get out there,'' he said. "Whatever we needed, I was going to be out there."

Free of the protective boot he wore at the start of the season, Reese can finally fit into a pair of Timberlands if needed on his next trip home. He'd like to be able to brag a little about a win against the Wolverines, too.

"Both of these teams are looking for momentum going into next year,'' Reese said. "We come to Florida for games like this."