GAINESVILLE, FL-- It usually takes time for a transfer athlete to get accustomed to the playbook of their new university.
Defensive end Jonathan Greenard is an exception to that stereotype, following his transfer from Louisville.
"[The playbook is] the exact same," Greenard stated at SEC Media Day in regards to his previous stint with Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. The two were paired for Greenard's freshman year at Louisville, when Grantham was his playcaller.
"The first day he came in and put a play on the board, I knew it."
For the time being, the graduate transfer is strictly playing BUCK edge rusher - however that could change in the future. When Grantham was asked of the potential to play Greenard inside, something he did occasionally at Louisville, the defensive coordinator responded "Buy a ticket, we'll see."
Greenard spoke further on his current position and versatility: “I’m at the BUCK position. I wanted to stay in that area, it gives me more flexibility.”
"I can still go to end where Jabari [Zuniga] is playing, on 3rd downs I can play inside as a 3-technique defensive tackle. But coach Grantham understands my flexibility and the talent I possess and wants to use every bit of it, that’s why I feel this was the best fit for me."
As Florida's primary pass rushing position, BUCK calls for a combination of skills in order to wreak havoc on the passer. Greenard suffered a broken wrist nine plays into his 2018 season at Louisville, missing the season and eventually leading to his transfer. That abruptly halted his progression as a pass rusher.
However, Greenard believes he is fully recovered from the injury, and has since been working to perfect his craft off of the edge.
Greenard told Gators Territory that his technical focus this offseason has been "being better with my hands... being able to shed blockers and swiping hands off of me."
"I’ve been working on losing weight, getting in better shape, getting lighter on my feet. I’m a solid 265 lbs., and they want me between 260-270. This is the best I’ve felt."
Now that Greenard is in shape and recovered from his broken wrist, he has begun to transition his training to sharpening his skills as a pass rusher. He utilized a bull rush often at Louisville, which stems from which natural power that he is proud of, but is adding more to become a complete EDGE.
"I like my power now. I wanted to be the bendy, edgy guy but now I had to add a little [bulk] because I’m not the fastest or the strongest, but I have an advantage in certain aspects, said Greenard.
"I can be twitchy, I can juke guys, I can run through you, around you, so I just had to open up my arsenal to make myself more difficult to block."
Stepping into the BUCK position that saw Jachai Polite record 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in 2018, the bar has been set pretty high for Greenard. "I know there's a lot of big shoes to fill and high expectations, there's production that needs to be made. I'm going to give it my best to achieve that.