'Freak Athlete' Slaton Leaps Into Middle of D-Line Action

Tedarrell Slaton was a big draw (in more ways than one) during Thursday's football media day on the eve of the first practice of the 2018 preseason.

'Freak Athlete' Slaton Leaps Into Middle of D-Line Action

Thursday, August 2, 2018 | Football, Chris Harry

Coaches and teammates believe the 6-foot-4, 340-pound nose tackle is primed for a big sophomore season.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The two Florida offensive linemen were in their designated seats during Thursday's "Media Day" session at the Touchdown Terrace. The placards before them listed "Jawaan Taylor" and "Tyler Jordan," but the topic at the moment was a teammate who had yet to enter the room.

"You seen this?" Taylor asked Jordan, as he handed over his cell phone.

Jordan locked in on a short Instagram video and went bug-eyed at the sight of defensive tackle Tedarrell "T.J" Slaton, now listed on the UF roster at 6-foot-4 and 358 pounds, jumping over another human being and dunking a basketball.

A post shared by Tedarrell Slaton Jr. / UF FB🐊 (@_quietguyy) on Aug 8, 2016 at 5:52pm PDT

"That's crazy!" Jordan exclaimed.

Taylor just smiled.

"Freak of nature," he said. "I've seen him do back flips and walk on his hands, too."

With the 2018 college football season on the horizon, the Gators expect Slaton to flash his unique blend of size and athleticism to the benefit of a defense that figures to be way ahead of its offensive counterpart not just for the start of training camp Friday afternoon, but when the regular season opens Sept. 1 against Charleston Southern. Slaton, the sophomore from Fort Lauderdale, figures prominently in the defensive front rotation in new coordinator Todd Grantham's system. Grantham referred to his scheme as a "3-4 structure," with the ability to play multiple fronts. Be it three, four or five linemen, Slaton will have a role that will net far more than the 11 tackles (including 1.5 for loss) he rang up as a true freshman last season.

Why? Because he's in way better shape — but still massive — and ready to play more than the six plays he averaged over his first seven games as a collegian.

"I want my name out there this year," Slaton said Thursday.

For reasons other than his jaw-dropping acrobatics.

Slaton has always been big. And athletic. Basketball was his first love. As a seventh-grader, he was 6-2, 280 when he first dunked. He had soft, strong hands, a baby hook shot and (obviously) could get wherever he wanted in the post.

In time, though, Slaton's skills on the football field were just too much not to pursuit. He excelled in that arena — on both sides of the ball — for all the same reasons he did so on the hardwood.

"Yeah, I saw him play in high school," said sophomore cornerback Marco Wilson, a football teammate of Slaton's at American Heritage, where the big fella averaged eight points and 10 rebounds as a senior. "A lot of guys looked scared to play against him because he was so huge … like they did on the football field. That was his advantage. And the people who thought just because he was big that he wasn't athletic found out … well … he was really athletic."

Slaton, a left tackle during his prep career, became one of the nation's most sought-after offensive line prospects in the country. College coaches, though, projected him as a guard at the next level. Florida, though, didn't project him at guard, but rather on the defensive line, which suited Slaton just fine. When he picked UF over Georgia, the Gators landed a rare five-star recruit who used his freshman season to watch and learn from Taven Bryan, who eventually bolted early for the NFL and was a first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars last spring.

Slaton got the nickname "Shrek," courtesy of former teammate Taven Bryan.

Bryan, by the way, gave Slaton his nickname: "Shrek."

"Taven taught me to get your hands up quick, to really get off the ball and about being physical with guys," Slaton said. "He was really quick. His speed was unbelievable, but also really strong. I just listened to him and watched how he went after things and [saw] the field."

Then-defensive line coach Chris Rumph really liked the potential in Slaton, but conditioning held the kid back as a freshman.

"He started leaking oil," Rumph said of Slaton following one game last season. "I had to get him out of there before he blew a rod out there on the field."

Things changed in December with the arrival of Coach Dan Mullen and new strength and conditioning coordinator Nick Savage. Slaton's commitment in the weight room began to manifest itself as he (slowly) took off a pound here and another there, all the while adhering to orders from the team nutritionist, and dropping from his UF peak of 373 to his current 340.

He did it conjunction with some insane things on the weight racks.

"Five plates on a warm-up," junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson said.

How 'bout a 600-pound squat?

"T.J. ain't fat, either," senior offensive tackle Martez Ivey said. "He's like this big body of muscle."

Get used to the sight of sophomore T.J. Slaton (56) breaking through the line and splitting double teams for the Florida defense this season.

The UF defensive front, expected to be led by the likes of senior Cece Jefferson and juniors Jabari Zuniga and Jachai Polite, will be the deepest position group on that side of the ball, with a rotation as big as 10 deep. Depending on how the Gators line up on a given play (three-man front, four-man front, etc.), Slaton projects to swap reps with fifth-year senior and 315-pound nose tackle Khairi Clark, another mentor, and even play alongside each other at times to give the front a massive wall in the "A" gaps.

"He can hold a point. He can command double teams. He should win the one-on-one battles," Grantham said of Slaton. "He also has the athletic ability that he can have range to the ball on the runs. And then, when you get to the passer, because of his movement on the edge as well as his ability to collapse the pocket, I think a guy like T.J. will go well with Zuniga, Cece, Polite, those guys coming off the edge, because now the quarterback cannot step up in the pocket."

The ability to split double teams with either quickness or strength makes Slaton intriguing. The key, of course, will be keeping him on the field. That will come down maintaining his conditioning, as well as keeping his motor revved. As Mullen mention Thursday, he wants the Gators to be defined by their effort and to forge of reputation for refusing to be outworked on Saturdays.

Grantham explained: "It goes back to high school. These guys play every play, and they kind of condition themselves to think, 'Well, the ball is way over there, so maybe I don't need to go as hard.' That can also be a product of them needing to play 60 or 70 plays. We don't need that here. We need them to be in that 30-play range. You never know when you're going to affect the game. And when you do affect the game, go [catch] your breath and let someone else come in and affect the game."

In his second season, Slaton is out to affect the game. A lot.

Expect more videos on social media.

"From the football field," said Taylor, again with a smile. "I'm telling you … freak of nature."