Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Polite undecided on NFL future, return
Junior enters Peach Bowl with 11 sacks, two shy of school record
GAINESVILLE — UF pass rusher Jachai Polite could be playing his final game for the Gators during Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Michigan.
Many expect Polite is ready to bolt for the NFL as quickly as he has turned the corner on so many helpless blockers all season.
But the 21-year-old junior said Wednesday he is waiting to make a decision, leaving open the possibility Polite could return for his senior season.
“Undecided still,” Polite told reporters on the field of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “I’m just trying to focus on winning this game right now. There’s a lot of other things going through my mind, but it’s just football right now.”
Polite said he has received his draft projection from the NFL Draft Advisory Board. He would not share the information with reporters.
“I can’t discuss that,” he said.
Many mock drafts have projected Polite as a firstround pick, but that guarantees nothing.
UF coach Dan Mullen said earlier this month 108 players had been tabbed first-round picks in various mock drafts. Meanwhile,
there are just 32 selections made in Round 1.
There’s a good chance Polite would be among them. He enters the bowl game with 11 sacks, two shy of Alex Brown’s 1999 school record. Polite also has five additional tackles for loss and five forced fumbles — tied for most in the nation.
But at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds Polite also could use another offseason in the Gators’ strength program under Nick Savage. Savage has received nearly as much credit as Mullen for the Gators’ five-win turnaround after a 4-7 2017 finish.
Polite surely would benefit from playing another season under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who coached 11 seasons in the NFL.
Grantham’s scheme has accentuated Polite’s passrushing skills and could help further raise his NFL draft stock in 2019.
Asked why he would consider coming back, Polite said, “Why not? It’s the University of Florida. I mean, you can have a great education, have anything.”
Polite also could leave school and soon sign for millions of dollars guaranteed first-round picks. Or he could leave school and end up drafted later than he expected, potentially costing him millions.
Grantham recently relayed the story of former Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, whom Grantham coached. Jones was considered a second-round pick, but returned to school in 2012 and ended up the No. 17 selection in the 2013 draft.
Polite said Grantham has relayed the story to him, but will not let it impact his decision.
“It’s not off of anybody else,” Polite said. “It’s all off me, Jachai. Not Jarvis.”
Polite is not sure when he will announced his intentions. But he has until Jan. 14 to decide whether to declare for the NFL draft.
Polite plans to take his time.
“I don’t know. I’ve been going through it with Mullen and Grantham,” he said. “Like, going through different things to make sure my decision is right at the end of the day.”
This time last season, Gators’ left tackle Martez Ivey faced an NFL decision of his own. While Ivey was not considered a high draft pick like Polite, he sees value for anyone to play his entire college career.
“Being in college in four years doesn’t hurt you at all,” Ivey said. “It actually helps you to learn the game.”
Polite might decide three years was enough for him to fulfill his NFL dream. One thing he never considered, though, was sitting out the bowl game to began preparing for his future.
“I’m not that type of player,” the Daytona Beach native said. “I’m a team guy, and I just want to be with my team for as long as I can.”