Brandon Spikes has been yelling ‘Beat Tennessee!’ in practice all week
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Since he joined the Florida football staff as a student assistant coach, former UF All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes has brought a significant “presence” to the Gators’ LB room.
He was very vocal with the group during fall training camp, repeatedly telling Florida’s linebackers to the set the pace in practice. This week, however, Spikes’ energy has been on another level.
“Spikes is always intense,” UF redshirt sophomore linebacker Scooby Williams said, “but I feel like he is more intense this week.”
That’s because it’s rivalry week in Gainesville. The Gators (1-1) host No. 11 Tennessee (2-0) on Saturday at 7 p.m. for their SEC opener.
Florida hasn’t lost at home to the Vols in 20 years.
“Every day in practice he’s just yelling and yelling, ’Beat Tennessee! Beat Tennessee!’ So, we got a chip on our shoulder, mainly because of B. Spikes putting the bug in our ear,” Williams said. “And this offseason, we did a whole thing about rivalries and Tennessee was one of those rivalries.
“Just knowing that you’re not only not only playing for the name on your back, but the name on the front of your jersey. The Gators. It’s not about us. It’s about the people who came before us and all the great role models and all the great players who came before us and just continuing that legacy. I feel like that’s the biggest challenge for us.”
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This offseason, UF redshirt quarterback Graham Mertz said the team watched a 30-minute video on the Florida-Tennessee series with a rundown of every game that has been played.
Brandon Spikes and EDGE coach Mike Peterson also spoke to the team to educate them about the rivalry. Peterson finished his career 3-1 against the Vols, while Spikes never lost.
“I definitely completely appreciate any time they get up in front of us and speak. They bring the energy, passion. They embody that every day,” Mertz said. “You can tell when it’s a rivalry week, they get a little more amped up.
“They got up in front of us during camp. You could tell how much it meant to them. As a current player, it’s got to mean that and more to you, to really honor those guys that came before you.”
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