Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lorenzo Lingard first started to garner serious attention from college football coaches in 2014 as a freshman at University High in Orange City, Fla.

Five games into his freshman prep season, Lingard was averaging 12.8 yards a carry when he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone. Later that season, the injured Lingard took an unofficial visit to Georgia the weekend of the Auburn-Georgia game at Sanford Stadium.

What Lingard witnessed that day must have felt like walking into a running back's candy store. Bulldogs standouts Nick Chubb (144 yards) and Todd Gurley (138) combined to shred Auburn's defense in a 34-7 win. Afterward, then-Georgia coach Mark Richt offered Lingard a scholarship. By the time Lingard signed with Richt's Miami program four years later as the nation's No. 2-rated back according to the 247Sports composite rankings, he had a reported 28 scholarship offers from some of the nation's top heavyweights.

Lingard's time with the Hurricanes started promising enough. In the 2018 home opener, a 77-0 win over Savannah State, Lingard got on the field during mop-up time and rushed four times for 82 yards, including touchdown runs of eight and 64 yards. He ended the season unable to play, a midseason knee injury during practice limiting him to six games and 136 yards on 17 carries. In 2019, following a couple of appearances on special teams, Lingard redshirted.

Meanwhile, the only running back ranked ahead of Lingard in the 2018 recruiting class, Georgia's Zamir White, began to stamp his future role with an 18-carry, 92-yard performance against Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Around the same time, Lingard transferred to Florida for a fresh start. He was granted immediate eligibility at the end of May and enters the 2020 season as a redshirt sophomore and an opportunity to make his mark following the departure of senior Lamical Perine, taken by the New York Jets in the NFL draft.
 

Approved to play this year 🙏🏾best birthday gift ever 💯god is good

— Lorenzo Lingard JR (@d1champ99) May 29, 2020

In his two seasons as Florida's head coach, Dan Mullen has shown more than a knack for making the right call at the right time. He has displayed sound instincts on what players to add through the transfer portal and those to avoid.

Can Lingard follow in the footsteps of recent transfers Van Jefferson and Jonathan Greenard and become a key piece for the Gators? The jury remains out, but Mullen is pleased by the way Lingard has adjusted to the program.

"I think he'll be great for the room because I think he's a real positive guy,'' Mullen said last week. "From what I've seen, he works hard in our offseason conditioning … got a real positive attitude. I love his personality and I really like who he is as a person. I think all of those are really bright for his future, and I'm really happy he's a part of the program."

Lingard's arrival adds competition at a position that includes projected starter Dameon Pierce, oft-injured Malik Davis, seldom-used Iverson Clement and redshirt freshman Nay'Quan Wright. A 6-foot, 200-pound speedster who clocked a 4.27 40-yard dash in high school, Lingard is one of the more intriguing transfer players in school history.
 

If he can show that he is completely healthy from the knee injury that derailed his career at Miami and regain the form he flashed in high school, Lingard could add to Mullen's list of wins in the transfer portal.

In many ways Lingard is a boom-or-bust prospect. Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Miami were some of the schools who pursued him coming out of high school. He was ranked the 25th-best prospect in the country overall, pegged for stardom by the recruiting services. Despite the reality of the past two years, many will expect an instant explosion.

The good news for Gators fans is that it's not too late. Lingard has three years of eligibility remaining and is one of only two five-star recruits – Georgia transfer Brenton Cox Jr. is the other – on the current roster.

When he signed with the Hurricanes in the same class that also included tight end Brevin Jordan and quarterback Jarren Williams, Richt was ecstatic over what was Miami's first top-10 signing class in six years.

"I am thrilled about our 2018 recruiting class – one of the best classes I've ever been involved in,'' Richt told reporters.

Less than a year later, Richt had retired from coaching following a 7-6 season and Lingard was recovering from a knee injury, stuck behind DeeJay Dallas and Cam'Ron Harris in Miami's backfield.

Lingard and the Gators hope for a better ending this time around.