Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On the same stretch of highway their oldest son traveled alone more than five years ago on a Greyhound bus, chasing a dream as the mile markers passed in the night, Sabrina and Jimmie Haywood now know the route better than he does.

Since he arrived at UF in the summer of 2016, Sabrina and Jimmie have worn out tires as they made the drive from their home in Theodore, Ala., to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to watch Lamical Perine churn up yards for the Gators. Perine's road to UF opened in late May 2014 when, near the end of his sophomore year of high school, 16-year-old Lamical took that 14-hour bus ride along Interstate 10, then a right along I-75, to attend a Gators camp. The next day a scholarship offer arrived.


Perine committed to his dream and then navigated the usual course on the recruiting trail, taking in other offers and making other trips, most notably one to in-state Auburn that would add a juicy subplot to his story years later. Sabrina and Jimmie loaded up the car once more on Friday to embark on a trip that is certain to include laughs, hugs, tears and Sabrina's red velvet cake, Lamical's favorite dish from his mom's oven.

"It's bittersweet,'' Sabrina said. "It's went really quick. It feels like I just dropped him off."

Perine is one of 22 seniors the No. 11-ranked Gators (9-2) will honor Saturday night when they host Florida State (6-5) in the annual "Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown." It will be Perine's 49th game in a Gators uniform, a span that includes 3,006 yards of total offense and counting.

As the Gators have surged back into the top 10 the past two seasons under head coach Dan Mullen, Perine has been their multi-purpose staple. He has led the team in rushing both seasons. As a senior, Perine has become one of the team's top receivers with 32 receptions and four touchdown catches, the most for a Gators running back since fullback James Jones caught five 37 years ago.

Talk to his teammates, and they use the same words to describe Perine: unselfish, talented, dependable, versatile, strong, fast, leader.

"He's all about team,'' offensive lineman Brett Heggie said.

"He's a complete football player,'' said starting center Nick Buchanan, one of the seniors to be honored with Perine. "He can do it all."

Nothing anyone has said to describe the oldest of their three sons during his time at Florida has surprised Sabrina and Jimmie. They saw it for 18 years on a daily basis.
 
Sabrina and Jimmie met at Vigor High School in Prichard, Ala., an industrial suburb north of Mobile. Jimmie was a standout defensive tackle and middle linebacker who spent a season playing at a junior college in California before returning home. Sabrina played basketball and won a state shot put title in track. Terrance Perine, who played at Auburn and is Lamical's biological father, was not heavily involved in his son's life early. Sabrina and Jimmie's family grew over the years to include Lamical's two younger brothers, Jimmie Haywood Jr. and Dorien Haywood, who both followed Lamical as standouts at Theodore High.

Lamical followed Jimmie's lead. The younger boys followed Lamical.

"He didn't play with toys, he played football,'' Sabrina said. "That was his first toy."

Flashing the talent Florida fans have become accustomed to watching on Saturdays, Perine quickly became the star on any team he played on in the rec leagues around town. The same held true when he got to middle school and high school.

He showed a willingness to work hard to reach goals, a lesson Jimmie imparted by setting up a weight bench in the backyard so Lamical could work out 12 months a year.

"We were always into just being ready and prepared. I told him with my experience of playing football, if you are lifting weights year-round, you are already ready,'' Jimmie said. "You don't have to get ready. You have done it all year. I've preached that to him religiously. If you are stronger and faster than the rest of the guys, you are going to be OK. He was like a gym rat coming out of high school."

Perine wasn't always that way.

Growing up, he was pudgy and started out on the offensive and defensive lines. By middle school he had started to shed weight and showcased his speed at linebacker. As a freshman in high school, Perine starred at receiver, which helped him develop skills like he showcased in Florida's 23-6 win at Missouri two weeks ago. With the Gators leading 13-6 in the second half, Perine made a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone and made sure to get his feet in-bounds as he landed.

As usual, Sabrina and Jimmie, who have traveled to every game this season and most of them over the past four years, were not surprised as others discussed Perine's evolution this season into one of Florida's primary receivers. He is third on the team in receptions (32), matching his career total prior to the season.
 
While Perine will fall short of a 1,000-yard rushing season as some projected due to the Gators' revamping of the offense after an injury to starting quarterback Feleipe Franks in the third game – he led the team with 826 as a junior – Perine has contributed significantly.

"He was a receiver first before he was a running back,'' Jimmie said. "He's got a whole lot to offer to the game. It probably wasn't the season he expected, but in some other areas where it counts, he improved a lot. His catching skills, pass blocking, he stepped up in those areas. They know he can run the ball."

Still, Perine's signature moment as a senior came on a handoff.

In Florida's 24-13 win over Auburn, he broke off an 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the Gators' biggest win of the season as Gators icon Emmitt Smith looked on from the sideline. It was Florida's longest run since Smith's 96-yarder against Mississippi State in 1988.

That made it special, but more so personally for Perine is that the Tigers told him he was too slow when he attended a camp at Auburn during high school.

"We were there for that heartbreak and we knew he would never forget it,'' Sabrina said.

Perine's scoring run capped one of the most magical home wins for the Gators this decade. It's a moment he'll never forget, but just part of his Gators story.

Perine contemplated putting his name in the NFL Draft following his junior season but decided to come back to finish what he started. That's what he learned all those years at his parents' kitchen table.

He has unfinished business on the field and in the classroom, where he is focused on completing his sociology degree. The total experience is why he opted to return to school.

"I sat in front of a mirror and honestly had to make a heart-to-heart decision with myself,'' Perine said. "I knew I could bring a lot more to the team and I just didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket and just leave and not know what to expect. It's pretty much the same thing this year, but I'm trying to hopefully get a degree and understand that I have nothing left to do at Florida."

And to think, it all started with a lonely bus ride.

In the years since, Perine has endured a head-coaching change, three position coaches, teammates coming and going, and in his final season, a different offense than the one he expected.

He's made the most of every opportunity.

"We preach it all the time,'' Sabrina said. "If you are going to do something, you are going to be the best. You are going to finish it. If you are not going to do it wholeheartedly, don't do it at all. I live it and breath it with them. I go through the highs and I go through the lows, and I'm there to wipe the nose."

On Senior Night, she'll likely have to dab her own.