GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He has learned to accept what he can't control. It wasn't easy for
Jacob Copeland, but he had no other choice.
It was a knee injury at first, and then a cranky quad. Instead of speeding up, Copeland was forced to slow down once he got to Florida. As a result, he caught one pass in three games and was redshirted last season.
Gradually, Copeland has worked his way back onto the field and into the rotation. The buzz attached to his name has returned, too, following his performance Saturday at South Carolina: three receptions, a team-high 89 yards and one touchdown. Modest numbers perhaps, yet a substantial step in Copeland's case.
Gators head coach
Dan Mullen saw it coming.
"He's been much better in practice, a different player in practice than he was,'' Mullen said. "A different player in the discipline in what he's doing, knowing his assignment, knowing how to run routes."
As a result, Copeland has been the subject of news stories in recent days for his productive outing and highlight-worthy 37-yard touchdown catch. Copeland split a pair of defenders, snatched a
Kyle Trask pass out of the air, and then raced into the end zone to bring the Gators even 10-10 in the second quarter.
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It was the type of play Copeland was known for at Escambia High in Pensacola. He was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday, joining
Antonio Callaway (2015) and
Tyrie Cleveland (2016) as the only UF freshman receivers this decade to earn the award.
A healthy and more mature Copeland has made an impact for the seventh-ranked Gators (7-1, 4-1) with 12 receptions for 181 yards and two scores.
"This is college ball, not high school ball,'' he said. "There's a lot more work to put into it. You've got to own up to what you do."
Copeland was the highest-rated prospect in Mullen's first signing class as UF's head coach. An hour after Copeland officially signed with the Gators in February 2018 during a much-publicized and dramatic signing party at his high school, Mullen addressed his advice to Copeland during the process.
"I think he's had a lot of stress put on him, a lot of people trying to pull him in different directions, and you know, the one thing I always told him is just say, 'hey, you've got to block that out. You've got to see and know what's best for you and your future,' " Mullen said then.
Copeland took the lesson to heart. He is determined to take advantage out of his opportunity, one he said few from his neighborhood ever get.
"I know I've got something to fight for,'' he said.
In the wake of Saturday's performance, as Copeland took questions from reporters inside a small interview room at Williams-Brice Stadium, he rehashed the toll the injuries took on his psyche and his long road back.
He credited his fellow receivers for serving as his personal support group and picking him up at his lowest moments. The rest was up to him. That is the part he understands he must control.
One practice at a time.
"You've just got to stay focused at all times," he said. "I was having difficulty with a little bit of the playbook or whatever, but I just stayed focused, maintained and played my game. Coach Mullen always says, 'Play your game.' Everybody doesn't learn the same. Some players may have to walk through the plays, some players may have to do this and that read. He just says, 'Play your way. Do everything you do, what's best for you, and it will play out all right.' "Â
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