Gators quality-control assistant Lamar Sorey, right, at a recent practice. (Photo: Jackson Collier/UAA Communications)
A Veteran Salute: Sorey's Story Ties Journey from Football to Military to Gators
Friday, November 10, 2023 | Football
Share:
By: Max Bernstein, FloridaGators.com Student Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators hosted their annual "Saluting Those Who Serve" game last week, and on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, they face LSU on what is officially Veterans Day.
Veterans Day reminds us of the heroes who served to protect our country. One such hero is Gators quality control coach Lamar Sorey, who served in the U.S. Army from 2015-18. Lamar Sorey
Sorey was recently honored as a finalist for the 2023 Armed Forces Merit Award, which honors an individual with a military background who has impacted college football. Sorey, who grew up in the small Panhandle town of Campbellton on the Florida side of the Florida-Alabama border, spoke fondly about his humble beginnings.
"Coming from a small town, I always wanted more," Sorey said this week. "For me, it taught me you have to have some self-determination and the faith you can do what you want to do."
Sorey started playing football when he was 6, eventually earning a scholarship at Division II Stillman (Ala.) College, where he played until the program was shut down in 2015. The son of a veteran, Sorey decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.
"I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself," Sorey said. "Since I wasn't around football at that time, I wanted to be a part of the camaraderie and brotherhood that I missed."
Stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash., Sorey served as a logistics specialist, which he said serves as the "force behind the fight."
He was tasked with ensuring that on-field soldiers were equipped with everything they needed from an operational standpoint. Sorey also served as a combat vehicle driver for platoon missions.
"I'm thankful for those opportunities and each interaction I had with those guys in the platoon," Sorey said. "Some of them are no longer here, but the ones that are, we still talk almost every day."
Sorey was awarded for his service, earning the Army Achievement Medal in 2017 and the Army Commendation Medal in 2018, both of which honor soldiers for their heroism.
When Sorey finished his service, he attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he worked as a student assistant with the Blue Raiders football team.
"The coaches took me under their wing and showed me how it's done at the Division I level,'' he said. A snapshot of Lamar Sorey during his time in the U.S. Army. (Photo: Courtesy of Sorey's Facebook page)
After earning his degree in sports management in 2021, Sorey began working for the Jacksonville Jaguars as a scouting assistant before joining the Gators as a quality-control coach in the personnel department in 2022.
Sorey followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Champ Kelly, who currently serves as the interim general manager for the Las Vegas Raiders. Sorey credits Kelly, who he grew up alongside in Campbellton, as the person who brought him "behind the scenes" of football.
"He's been a big influence on me," said Sorey. "He introduced me to this side of the game and showed me it can be done, even coming from a small town."
In his second year at UF, Sorey now oversees the team's walk-on program, identifying student-athletes with high academic offers who can compete at the SEC level. He specifically targets players with the traits and mentality needed to succeed.
"To me, the internal piece of the player is equally important, if not more important than the physical piece," said Sorey. "It takes a certain mentality to play this game at this level to succeed."
For Sorey, the connections between the game and his military background relate in so many ways. He said his love for evaluating players stems from his service to his country.
"In football, it's people from all aspects of life under one roof," said Sorey. "The challenge is to come together to achieve a common goal, just like in the Army where the goal is to protect your country."
When looking back on his service and the importance of Veterans Day, Sorey is grateful for the Army's seven core values that have helped to shape his life: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.
The Gators wore some of those values on the back of their jerseys last week. They will try to use them on the field Saturday night in their Veterans Day matchup at LSU.
"It's never about you. It's more about the people and what you do with them," said Sorey. "Those core values you learn through the service can take you throughout life forever."
