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Gators praise Kelsee Gomes, who helped Gervon Dexter give up Twinkies

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•03/25/22•

ZachAbolverdi

On3 image
Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

One of the most mentioned members of Billy Napier’s staff has been Kelsee Gomes, Florida football’s new director of sports nutrition. 

Multiple players and coaches have gone out of their way this spring to compliment Gomes on the job she does, including director of strength and conditioning Mark Hocke. 

“Kelsee Gomes, our nutritionist, she is a rockstar,” Hocke said last week. “She’s got a rockstar-studded staff, and they have a great plan in place.” 

Many of the comments on Gomes have been unprompted. Florida cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. was asked Thursday specifically about safety Corey Collier Jr.

“Well first, let me talk about [Kelsee],” Marshall said. “She’s doing an outstanding job. Not with just him, but everybody. She looks out for everybody.”

UF defensive tackle Gervon Dexter also spoke to the media Thursday and was asked about his improved physique. He credited Gomes for helping him. 

“I just leaned up a little bit. I feel like I got rid of some of the body fat that was on my body. Just leaned up and lifted some weights,” Dexter said. “I will say this: Miss Kelsee, she came in and she got to it instantly. 

“She didn’t waste any time. I came to her one day and said, ‘Miss Kelsey, I need a meal plan’, and the next morning she had it ready for me. So I would say it’s been all Ms. Kelsee. I can’t give no credit to myself.” 

Dexter even gave up one of his favorite food items on Gomes’ meal plan. 

“Yeah, I gave up some Twinkies,” Dexter said before he and the room burst out laughing. 

How difficult was it for Dexter to ditch the Twinkies?

“It was hard. I ain’t gonna lie,” said Dexter, who admits he ate them regularly. “It wasn’t every day. It was like, I’m going home, chilling and throwing a Twinkie in my mouth.”

Thursday isn’t the first time Dexter has given Gomes a shout-out. He also tweeted about her on March 1 after she served the team a Mardi Gras-themed meal for breakfast.

“Just wanna give a shout-out to @kelsee_gomes she doesn’t get enough recognition but she’s literally the best … We Appreciate you,” Dexter posted.

Running back Demarkcus Bowman also tweeted about Gomes: “She like the oil for a car, so without that oil that car ain’t gone crank.”

In the video below, Gomes discusses her job responsibilities, the amenities for athletes and the importance of nutrition in player development.

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