Exclusive: GatorMade provides entire UF team with custom suits from Men's Wearhouse

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Savannah Bailey sat on the Gator Head as the Florida football team exited the field following a workout Thursday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. 

Bailey directed players to take a right as they filed into the tunnel, instead of heading left toward the locker room. UF receivers coach Keary Colbert served as her hype man, vibing out to “I be on my suit and tie” as he sang the lyrics.

“Head this way to get fitted for your suits!” said Bailey, Florida’s senior director of player relations and GatorMade. 

The GatorMade program, launched by head coach Billy Napier in January, is a holistic player-focused and purpose-driven initiative that develops the football players during their time at UF and beyond.

Through the GatorMade program, Men’s Wearhouse visited the facility Thursday and measured all 121 players on the football team for two custom-tailored suits. And this wasn’t a one-time thing, either. 

“There’s a reason we’re doing this,” said Joshua Thompson, director of football operations. “If you’re a student-athlete here for four years, you’re going to leave with eight suits. If you’re here for five years, you’ll leave here with 10. So you’re going to be getting two suits a year. 

“And Coach really wants them to be able to show their own individual style. So there’s over 20 options. You can get jazzy with it if you want to. It is as custom as custom gets. The lining, stitching, names inside, everything.”

The team lined up to be measured and tried on different suit jackets, then picked out their color combinations and a necktie. Some players spent more time choosing a tie than their two suits, as running backs coach Jabbar Juluke offered his expertise. 

“It promotes professionalism,” Bailey said of the latest GatorMade initiative. “Even just how to dress. There’s a certain etiquette to it, there’s a certain style to it. But then also getting to be your individual self in that selection process. 

“Just like in a job interview. You’d want to appear looking the part but then also show your personal style and the reason you’re the best fit for something. I think there’s also a mental health component to it. When you look good, you feel good, you play good, you are good.” 

For many players on the team, Thursday marked their first time being fitted for a suit. Florida tight end Dante Zanders wanted to buy one this year, but GatorMade saved him the expense and provided a pair. 

“I got a navy blue suit with a silver paisley, and then a black suit with a black paisley,” Zanders said. “This was new for me. It was something I never experienced, getting fitted. 

“And to be honest, a lot of people come from the same background I come from where they never had suits and ties. So having them be able to provide this means a lot.” 

UF punter Jeremy Crawshaw owns one suit from his high school formal in Australia. He brought it with him to the United States and has been using it here the past two years. 

“That’s the only suit I’ve ever gotten,” Crawshaw said. 

Crawshaw was already planning to get more for this season, but not just to wear at Gator Walk or future job interviews. He wants to start wearing suits to social events and make them part of his wardrobe. 

“If you’re wearing a suit, everybody is going to look at you. There’s no such thing as being overdressed. It’s called being best dressed,” Crawshaw said.

Like Crawshaw, Florida offensive lineman Richard Gouraige came to college with just one suit. He now owns seven and just added two more to his collection.

While others had never experienced getting fitted, Thursday wasn’t Gouraige’s first rodeo. He is one of a few suit connoisseurs on the team. 

“I just feel that every year brings new change and I should sauce it up a little bit, you know. Show the fans that big men can dress. I just like the apparel and I like looking good,” Gouriage said. “I had to grab the violet suit and then I got the green suit. 

“This is an early little Christmas present that I’m glad Coach is providing for us. This is a cool experience. This will definitely help guys down the path, especially for job opportunities and going to interviews. This is huge. We can definitely utilize this in the long run, and it will save us money, too.”

The latest GatorMade initiative is new to UF players, but not Napier’s program. It’s a tradition he started in 2018 after becoming the head coach at Louisiana. 

Thompson was on Napier’s staff that year and witnessed the impact this had on the team. 

“When they got those suits, they felt like they were the freshest thing in America,” Thompson said. “When we first decided to do this, really the emphasis of it was wanting to do something for the guys not only for game day, but for the rest of their lives. When you decide to come play for Billy Napier, it’s not a four-year thing. It’s going to be a 40-year thing. So you’re able to take these suits with you into your professional career. Hopefully you can get something a little bit more jazzy for your wedding.

“But it does, in my opinion, make a huge impact for them. It’s a lot of money staying in their pocket. It’s a substantial resource. And of course, we do have to say thank you to administration for being on board with this, from Scott Stricklin to Jay Jacobs to Melissa Stuckey. We’re very appreciative.” 

So, too, are the players. Some of them wore suits for Gator Walk in years past, but many didn’t have one. That will no longer be a problem. 

“Some people used to just wear a plain long sleeve shirt and some khakis, while others would dress standing out,” Zanders said. “Now everybody gets to stand out, not just a few guys.”

Gouraige added, “When we get off the bus, everybody is going to know that we mean business. We’re going to be looking like businessmen ready to take care of some business.”

While Bailey looks forward to the players being dressed to impress on game day this fall, she’s more excited to see them looking sharp for their first job interview or internship after college.

“Pretty much every day for them at this point in an interview, with the platform that they have and what they’re doing,” Bailey said. “So, we want to make sure they have every resource possible. I can’t wait to get the first-day-on-the-job selfies in the suit we provided them. When they’ve reached their tenure at Florida and moved on, they are still showing that they’re GatorMade.”

Dress for success.

From Gator Walks to job interviews, our scholar-athletes are professionally prepared with two custom fitted suits.#GatorMade | #UFuture pic.twitter.com/48ADRjuvjG

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) June 3, 2022