GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida and Colorado State were scoreless with the Gators having just punted away the first possession of the game. The Rams following soon after.

James Houston was ready.

The then Gators redshirt-freshman rolled towards the Rams punter, knocked the ball loose for Elijah Conliffe to recover.

"That was actually really big for me," said the Gators linebacker recalling that play months later. "That was my first game back for two years. I wasn't on defense. I wasn't getting reps like that, so I had to make all my plays on special teams. I made a big play and it felt good."

Houston was not finished.

In that same game, on a punt inside their own 20-yard line, Houston powered his way to the punter, blocked the kick, allowing his teammate Tyrie Cleveland to run it home for a touchdown.

Two years.

Houston waited two years for that game. For these moments.

"I was just so happy," said a smiling Houston. "I was over filled with emotions. I was just back in the flow of football and it was just great."

“Oh wow," recalled Houston's mother, Sonja Houston. "That was pretty insane...He was just grateful to get on the field to showcase who he was.”

"A huge relief for him to get on the field and make plays,” added Houston's father, James Houston III. "It was kind of, okay, he is back to what he does. We’ve been watching him play football since he was nine years old and thats what he does.”

It was a long road back to the gridiron for Houston.

Arriving on campus as an early enrollee in January 2017, Houston had expectations his first season. After sitting out his senior year in high school due to an ACL injury, the South Florida native anticipated returning to the field for the Gators.

However, things did not quite go as planned.

"That really hurt me," said Houston. "I had to sit out the year before [because of the injury], and I was ready to play. Then I did something to myself it just, it just killed me. It killed me because I knew I did it to myself."

Houston was one of nine players suspended due to the credit card fraud investigation that rocked the program prior to Jim McElwain's final season as the UF head coach.

"I definitely went through some hardships that made me have to step up," said Houston. "I am definitely a different person than what I was when I came here."

“With what happened it was a matter of choices, decisions, individuals he was hanging out with, and then not understanding implications," said Houston's mother. "I think thats the biggest thing...Even though he didn’t understand the situation he was brought into so to speak."

McElwain and Florida parted ways in the fall, and Houston's future was up to the Gators' new head coach, Dan Mullen.

Houston, alongside his parents, met with Mullen and his staff just after the holidays and before the 2018 signing day. The group spoke for hours about Houston's future and about Mullen's goal for the program.

“It was about understanding where we came from and how James was raised," said the elder Houston about the meeting. "Then it was about learning what his standard is and what the Gator Standard is."

“Coach Mullen has really demonstrated to us a commitment to maintain the Gator Standard,” said Sonja. “He has been extremely candid, very forthright. We have no question that he wants whats best for the team members, for James, for the players to develop to be the best that they can be so that the team will be back where it needs to be. We feel really good about that.

“I have a lot of respect for him, and the fact that we had the chance to move forward. That meant a lot to us as a family."

Houston was given a chance with the new staff in Gainesville.

A chance he was not going squander.

"That next year having the opportunity to come back, I think he was extremely grateful for that because it didn’t have to be that way," said Houston's mother. "He had a lot of people that were pulling for him to succeed and for him to have another chance. He understood he had a responsibility for those people, his family, his little brother, his little cousins that look up to him. He was extremely grateful. And he realized that he had a responsibility that came along with the privilege to play."

Houston did not mince words. The year he sat out because of his own mistake was frustrating. It was hard. However, it allowed him to grow and evaluate himself.

"They kept telling me to keep my head," said Houston about his family. "They knew where I came from; what type of family I came from. It was a freshman mistake-trusting the wrong people. They were just telling me that I knew who I am, and I need to stay true to yourself."

“That's the thing we constantly talk about and emphasize now that you’ve kept your head down, it’s your turn,” said his Houston's father. ”You do have to lead. You do have to help the younger guys out. You have to be an example. That becomes an emphasis.”

"Offensive linemen that came in, I pull them aside and I talk to them," said Houston. "I know that they need a whole bunch of help. I talk to them and I show them the ropes... I want them to be ahead of the game."

His mother and father have seen their son change in front of their eyes - both mentally and physically.

"I think he is more comfortable with the coaches," said Houston's father. "Coach Chris [Christian Robinson] has been a very positive influence. I think they really have a good relationship that not only motivates him on the football field but off the field field for him to mature and grow up.”

Houston embraced the new culture around Florida whole heartedly. The 6-foot-1, 233-pounder heeded every advice given by the Gators' new Director of Strength and Conditioning, Nick Savage, and the new coaches.

He took to the weight room, cutting his body fat by five percent, and of course by hitting the film room.

He made sure to take every rep on the field as an opportunity to showcase his talent - be it on special teams or as a linebacker.

“At each level, at each junket of maturity you have to learn how to step it up,” said his mother. “You have to learn how to continue to grow. Even though he has dominated [in football] at a lot of different levels, this is Division 1 football in the SEC. He knew it was going to be a challenge but it’s not one that we did not feel that he wasn’t up for and one that he didn’t feel that he was not up for. It’s just a matter of continuing to grow and step up to that next level to be the leader that he is.”

"I know there were times during that process that I didn't think I was going to be able to play college football again," said Houston. "I thought I was going to have to go back home. I was very grateful for being in the same place, people showing love and making sure I was straight."

Now Houston has an opportunity to contribute on the defensive side of the ball this season.

He is no longer looking at the past, but making sure his mind is set at creating a legacy that his family back home and his Gator family can be proud of.

“Watching his growth, watching him have the opportunity to demonstrate all the passion and love he has for the game, showcasing that to Gator Nation - which has been a dream that he has," said his mother. "We are happy because he is happy.”