Florida is accustomed to starting the season with home-field advantage. This year’s trip to Dallas and a neutral-site showdown with No. 11 Michigan breaks from that tradition. Playing the Wolverines at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will obviously be a lot more challenging than facing New Mexico State or UMass in Gainesville.

If it were up to sophomore linebacker David Reese, however, the Gators would be facing an even bigger challenge.

“I cherish this opportunity to play [the Wolverines],” Reese said Monday. “I always watched them growing up. I wish it was in The Big House, but you can’t get a better stage than Texas, so I’m excited.”

A native of Detroit suburb Farmington, Mich., Reese grew up about 30 miles from Ann Arbor and UM campus. For a time, the plan was for Reese to be playing a lot of games in Michigan Stadium, better known as the Big House for its capacity of 107,601.

From April 4, 2015 to Dec. 9, 2015, Reese was pledged to Michigan. Reese’s commitment hit a snag because he was set on two things: enrolling early and playing linebacker. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh frequently talked to Reese about playing fullback. He also wanted only offensive players to enroll early. If Reese were going to play linebacker, he would not be enrolling until June.

Despite the issues that lead to the de-commitment, Reese shows no hard feelings toward Harbaugh.

“I remember when Harbaugh first got the job and then he came to my school and then I got the offer from the University of Michigan,” Reese said. “So, he’s a good guy to me. He gave me the opportunity to play for him. So, I won’t ever speak bad about him.”

With Michigan out of the picture, Reese found that at Florida he could enroll early and still play linebacker.

“First of all, I’m blessed to be here,” Reese said. “I’m happy everything unfolded. I feel like it was just God’s way of telling me that this is home and that this is the place to be. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play.

“As a true freshman, I played and I just don’t look back at it, really. I always will have a special place in my heart for Detroit, the city itself, but as far as school, I’m a Florida Gator. And I’m proud to be one.”

McElwain credits the January enrollment, which is the middle of the academic school year at UF, with contributing to Reese’s development as a freshman.

“In this case, we were able to get him in mid-year, which was huge,” McElwain said Monday. “I think that really helped him in his preparation being a starter a year ago.”

Reese made four starts at the end of the regular season filling in for Jarrad Davis, who was the heart and soul of the Gators defense last season. Davis was a top tackler, a leader and a big brother to Reese.

“Jarrad is one of those guys that does everything right,” Reese said. “He stresses the little things. He watches film study. You can always find him just working to better himself, as a person on and off the field. He just took me under his wing as a little brother. I really appreciated that. He and Alex Anzalone. They both molded me and helped me to try and become the player that I want to become.”

Reese probably should have started the final five games, but Davis, from Kingsland, Ga., willed himself to play on Oct. 29 against Georgia despite a badly sprained ankle suffered two weeks earlier. There’s just something about playing for the Gators against your home-state team, especially when you’re the starting middle linebacker.

“This game means a lot,” Reese said. “My recruitment process was a slumpy one at that. Before I made my decision, I didn’t know where I wanted to go to college. And I was in December and I knew I wanted to graduate early, so it was like, a big thing.”

The fact that Reese came close to going to Michigan was perhaps the first twist of his recruitment process.

“You know, my Dad went to Michigan State. I thought I was going to go there originally growing up. And then I found a love for Michigan,” Reese added. “I had guys that were like family on that staff. … The whole staff, all of those guys left. And then, after I decommitted, I saw Michigan beat Florida on TV like that. Everybody from my home town said ‘Why are you going there?’

“I’m just ready to prove everyone wrong in my home town. I know it’s going to be house divided, but I’m eager for this game.”

-----

Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.