Florida Football celebrates inaugural GatorMade week
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As the Gators prepare to host Missouri for homecoming on Saturday, the Florida football team will also celebrate its first GatorMade Week.
It’s a new tradition within the program to raise awareness and promote the initiatives of GatorMade, which was established earlier this year.
In honor of GatorMade Week, the team will wear helmet decals of the GatorMade logo during the game against Mizzou.
“GatorMade Week gives us an opportunity to highlight the different things that we do within GatorMade and certainly the great leadership that we have in that part of our program,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “GatorMade is an initiative that is all about player development — in particular we’re trying to equip and educate our players for life after football. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to really position the players for success independent of football.”
What is the GatorMade program?
The GatorMade program, launched by Napier in January, is a holistic player-focused and purpose-driven initiative that develops football players during their time at UF and beyond.
“We are excited to continually share the life-changing impacts of GatorMade with our scholar-athletes, staff, alumni, investors, corporate partners, and fans,” senior director of player relations and GatorMade Savannah Bailey said. “To connect with GatorMade is to connect with our young men as people, not just as players — to commit to their development and support their growth as they represent the University of Florida for the rest of their lives.”
The program has already provided the Gators with several opportunities, including a jam-packed month of June.
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The most notable initiative was Florida’s first-ever service abroad mission: a 10-day trip to Greece with 16 student-athletes.
Men’s Wearhouse measured the entire Florida football team for two custom-tailored suits, and GatorMade provided a financial literacy session for the players from the NIL consulting firm Team Altemus.
The program also held an Etiquette Dinner at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille on June 9 for the 2022 signees who reported to campus for enrollment. The early enrollees also took part in the dinner.
Director of nutrition Kelsee Gomes even showed the football players how to grill during the summer with former Florida offensive lineman Shannon Snell. And over spring break, nine UF football players spent four days in Atlanta for a weekend of professional exposure, exploration, and experience.
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In other Florida football news
- Former UF player, entrepreneur Mike Ricketts makes significant contribution to GatorMade.
- Chandler Parsons is the honorary “Mr. Two Bits” for the homecoming game against Missouri.
- Florida will celebrate its inaugural Tom Petty Day on Oct. 15 in conjunction with the LSU game.
- Gators in the NFL: How former Florida players performed in Week Four.
UF recruiting roundup
- October Edition: Gators Online predicts the three most-likely additions to Florida’s 2023 class.
- Top-100 cornerback Dijon Johnson will be in Gainesville this month to attend a Gators game.
- A five-star wide receiver has scheduled another visit date to Florida with Billy Napier’s staff.
- The latest intel regarding the Gators and elite 2024 quarterback DJ Lagway, a top-20 recruit.
- Florida finds itself on the top-12 list for four-star 2024 RB Jerrick Gibson, a former UF commit.
Gators sports roundup
- Intel from the Gators’ sixth basketball practice of preseason camp for the 2022-23 campaign.
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