‘Big Daddy’ leading Florida’s defensive line into conference game against Texas A&M

Jordan Sherit has never wondered if — only when. After he tore his ACL as a senior at Hillsborough High School, he never doubted a comeback. When he missed time in is redshirt freshman season at UF because of another injury, he knew he’d recover and start. And when he hurt his knee and suffered a plague of other ailments last season, he knew he’d be back for his fifth year to try and make a difference.

He’s done so by leading Florida’s defensive line as an edge defender. His pass-rushing numbers aren’t dazzling, with two sacks so far this season. But he’s tied for the team lead in tackles among defensive linemen, and coaches are noticing.

“He’s starting to step up,” defensive line coach Chris Rumph said. “He’s being a leader. He always led by example. Now he’s saying things. He’s being a voice. He’s given himself a voice.”

He’s used that voice to play a role as the team’s veteran presence along a fairly young defensive line. He’s the only fifth-year senior of the group, and he tries to mentor the younger players. But he’s also a lot like quarterback Luke Del Rio.

Before the season, Del Rio made it clear he came back to Florida following an injury and offseason surgery to play. Not to mentor younger quarterbacks. He didn’t start at the beginning of the year, but that didn’t deter him. He mentored the younger guys as best he could until he was chosen to start. Sherit followed a similar path, although as a defensive end, he had more opportunities.

He didn’t start the season opener against Michigan. He didn’t start the next week against Tennessee, either. He finally did a week later at Kentucky. Since then, he’s become a force for a unit that’s stood out for good amid the strife plaguing most of the team. He’s hoping he can keep it up when Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) travels to Gainesville to play the Gators (3-2, 3-1 SEC) Saturday at 7 p.m. His teammates don’t doubt it.

“His name is Papo for a reason,” safety Chauncey Gardner said. “Big Daddy, that’s what he do.”

But Sherit almost didn’t make it to Florida. In high school, his coach, Earl Garcia, vouched for him to then-Florida coach Will Muschamp. Muschamp offered Sherit 10 minutes after hanging up with Garcia.

When the four-star defensive end arrived at Florida, though, he didn’t make much of an impact in his first year. Or his second. Or his third.

Finally, in his fourth, his numbers picked up before injuries strangled his progress. This season, that hasn’t been a problem so far. At 4 1/2 tackles for loss, he’s a half-tackle for loss away from matching his career-best mark of five. There are six regular season games remaining.

“I don’t know if I’m surprised,” he said of finally feeling success. “I’m just happy. It’s never too late. I’m glad it’s happening now and we’re going to continue getting better as a group and individually.”

But what about the possibility of another injury? Another setback in a lengthy list of them?

He doesn’t think about it. Instead, he does what he can: Instruct the guys who will take his place next year and give everything his body will allow on every play. He does, however, reminisce about this being his last college whirl. He’ll miss the coaches, the teammates, the fans and the moments. Which made the decision to play his fifth season that much simpler.

“I feel like this might be my best year,” he said. “I owe it to guys in that room. The coaching staff, the team, the guys that pushed me to come back. And I wanted to come back more than ever to be a part of this family.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 6:25 PM with the headline "‘Big Daddy’ leading Florida’s defensive line into conference game against Texas A&M."