Florida Gators sophomore
defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson has elite skills and is driven to improve.
GAINESVILLE — At first, CeCe Jefferson thought it was a mistake.
His coach yelled out the number across Jefferson’s jersey — but it was much too early in the game, the college freshman thought. He hadn’t played since a shoulder injury sidelined him three games into his senior season in high school, nearly a year earlier.
“Is he talking to me?” Jefferson recalled thinking.
UF defensive line coach Chris Rumph called Jefferson’s number again, and up he went, taking his first two steps onto the field during the 2015 opener against New Mexico State. “I almost could have started crying because it felt that good,”
Jefferson recalled as he prepares for the 2016 season opener.
Jefferson remembers vividly the emotions of playing in the first collegiate game of his career, a 61-13 blowout win that justified his difficult path during the previous year.
Sure, Jefferson was a five-star prospect recruited by nearly everyone, but there also were setbacks.
There was shoulder surgery after a season-ending injury at Baker County High, coming at a time when college coaches were making tough choices.
There was his first preseason camp at Florida, during which Jefferson was unsure whether to ask for advice from UF’s veterans — admitting weakness and inexperience — or to fend for himself.
And there was his son, Luke, who just turned 1 on Aug. 11. Jefferson sees him just three times a week, but he keeps Luke’s name with him in the form of a tattoo on his right forearm.
Now a year older and knowing he has someone else to support, Jefferson has dedicated himself like never before.
“It actually motivates me,” Jefferson said. “When we have those 5:30 a.m. workouts and I don’t feel like getting up, I just think about my son. That makes me get up.”
Florida’s defensive line has a recent history of fielding elite talent — a member of its front four has been selected in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft in each of the past five years. Most recently it was Jonathan Bullard, an inside rusher who tied for first on the team in sacks (6.5) in 2015 and was selected in the third round of April's draft by the Chicago Bears.
Jefferson wants to be next.
“I think he can be a force,” UF defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said of Jefferson. “As long as the effort is there, the technique is there, which he has shown so much during the spring.”
Part of Jefferson’s progression during the past year was due to Bullard. As a freshman, Jefferson watched the veteran’s game tape, closely noting his relentless rushing technique in order to imitate his style of play.
Jefferson decided to ask Bullard for tips and tricks on the field, and Bullard usually obliged. Before long, Jefferson said, he began to notice some of Bullard’s techniques rubbing off on him.
“He’s one of those guys, he’ll give you the shirt off his back,” Jefferson said of Bullard. “Every time I needed something or needed him for help, he was there with no hesitation.”
But Bullard is gone and coaches are training Jefferson to replace him.
Jefferson mostly played on the edges of the defensive line last season, but he has moved inside this year into Bullard’s old spot. Even at 6-foot-1 and 265 pounds, coaches think Jefferson should be able to handle the move and vastly improve on his 3.5 sacks and 29 total tackles in 2015.
“The one unique thing with him is the natural strength he has,” head coach Jim McElwain said. “You don’t mess with those guys.”
While Jefferson is still adapting to the double teams he rarely faced off the edge, he thinks the change will benefit Florida’s talented, deep defensive front.
“It’s literally going to be a feeding frenzy,” Jefferson said.
Florida’s offensive line is well aware. Even though players have come and gone on the defensive side of the ball, the talent level remains the same, sophomore offensive lineman Martez Ivey said.
Even so, Jefferson stands out.
“He can blow you up, he can bull rush you, he can run right past you,” Ivey said of Jefferson. “He’s a great player."