FRESHMAN FOCUS: DB Jaydon Hill |
QB Jalon Jones |
OL Kingsley Eguakun |
LB Jesiah Pierre
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He doesn't remember the exact year or game, but Michael Tarquin has no memory lapse in recalling the moment.
He was 6 or 7 at the time and a huge Gators fan from Marion County. As the Gators warmed up prior to a game, he got onto Florida Field for a photo opportunity. Standing next to former UF head coach Urban Meyer, Tarquin's mom snapped a family keepsake.
Tarquin then shared a message with Meyer.
"I'm going to play here when I get older,'' he said.
More than a decade later, Tarquin made it official when he signed with the Gators in December and enrolled in January. Tarquin's path to UF was not a straight line up Highway 441 to Gainesville. He took a visit to Ohio State, where Meyer landed after leaving the Gators, and committed to Miami well before December's early signing period.
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Tarquin had other scholarship offers, but as decision day neared, he took another look at Florida, an option he considered off the table during his junior season at North Marion High.
"I've been a Gator fan since I ever knew about football,'' Tarquin said. "I've always dreamed about playing here, and then obviously I committed to Miami for the longest time mainly because of the old staff. I didn't have any interest in Florida. And then Coach Mullen got here, and I finally took a look at Florida again. Obviously things worked out."
One of four offensive linemen to sign in December, Tarquin is working to recover from a torn labrum in his shoulder that cost him his senior season. Still, he is optimistic that he will be ready to contribute in his first season if healthy.
In our series to introduce Florida's nine mid-year enrollees on
FloridaGators.com, here is our Q&A with Tarquin:
Q: What are your early impressions since arriving?
A: It's great. I always thought about early enrolling and now that it's actually here, I'm really excited about it. It's much different. I'm glad I'm here so I can get to work and be ready for spring and get ahead with everyone else.
Q: What's a good spring camp for you?
I'm still recovering from a torn labrum. Just rehab that a lot. Ge the strength back. Put on the proper weight. Stay in the weight room and do what everybody is telling me and get a lot stronger and bigger.
Freshman offensive lineman Michael Tarquin.
Q: Is there extra motivation considering the loss of four starting O-linemen?
A: Absolutely. There's like only 13 guys and we'll have the other guys come in the summer. Whoever's here, we've got to get ready to play. There's not many guys at all. That's definitely a motivating factor.
Q: Best experience as a football player?
A: I didn't play my senior year unfortunately. My junior year was so fun. I never had so much fun playing football.
Q: Why is that?
A: That was just the best I ever played and I had a ton of fun doing it.
Q: How is your shoulder rehab going?
A: It's going good. Right now, it's just strengthening it because it's very weak. I haven't done anything with it, three or four months out of surgery.
Q: How did you get hurt?
A: I started feeling it. I fractured a bone in there and felt that was good, and then we started practicing in fall camp and one day when we were scrimmaging, I just felt a pop and tore it.
Q: First major injury for you?
A: My sophomore year I had to miss time. I think I played in only four games. It sucks. I absolutely despise injuries.
Q: When healthy, how do you describe your skill-set?
A: I describe myself as an aggressive player. I move well out in space. I'm good in pass protection, I have good feet. I'm athletic for my size. And like I said, I like to get after guys and play very aggressive.
Q: What's your relationship like with O-line coach John Hevesy?
A: They're real here. I have always felt that. I felt like I had a pretty good idea of how I'm going to be coached. Coach Hevesy is a very hard coach. He's going to get on you. But part of the reason I came here is because I had a ton of confidence in the coaching staff and how I was going to get developed.
Q: What's something most people don't know about you?
A: I'm really flexible. I can do a split. Everyone thinks that's crazy.
Q: How has that helped you as a player?
A: I used to be very un-athletic. I was this big clumsy kid, stiff as all. I just continued to stretch and worked at it and become athletic, and eventually it worked into that. It has helped a lot.
Q: Did Gators' success last season have much to do with your change of heart?
A: Of course it did. It just shows how good the coaching staff has done compared to the season before. It played a major role. Once I finally started looking at Florida again, I loved this staff and felt very comfortable with them.
Q: Any of your relatives play football or sports at this level?
A: My brother [James] is going to swim at UNLV. I'm the first to play Division I football. He'll be enrolling in August.
