HOOVER, Ala. -- Lamical Perine always knew he was going to be a Gator.
“Just the tradition and the winning ways," said the Florida running back at SEC Media Days. "Seeing Tim Tebow, guys like that, Percy Harvin — just guys that carried that Gator standard the right way.”
Perine was a highly underrated prospect coming out of high school. Some programs did not want to take a chance on him. Schools like Auburn told Perine he was "too slow" to offer.
“A lot of people sleep on me," said Perine. "In my eyes and in everybody who knows me, they know I’m a ball player.”
Other programs did see the potential and tried to lure the running back away from Gainesville. Programs like Alabama.
"I was actually committed to Florida when they offered me," explained Perine. "Nick Saban was the one who called me when he gave me my offer. It was kind of surreal, but I had to come back to reality and realize I’m a Gator.”
But who turns down Saban?
“Well, Lamical Perine did," said Perine. "I’m an honest guy. I'm a loyalty guy. Florida was honest with me, so I was going to do the same thing.”
That loyalty earned the Gators one of their best offensive playmakers.
Last year, Perine led the team on the ground with, 826 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 134 carries. This followed up an impressive sophomore season that saw the Alabama native amass 562 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 136 carries.
However, Perine is more than just a runner; he is a reliable target for UF quarterback Feliepe Franks.
“It wasn’t as big as it is now in my game," said Perine. "I feel like everybody just wanted to use me as a power back. I always knew in the back of my head I could receive out of the backfield and things like that and be more productive pass catching.”
“He seems comfortable at it, he’s worked at it," said Gators head coach Dan Mullen.
"He has really good hands at the running back position, big body guy, can run the ball obviously," said quarterback Feleipe Franks. "Really good running back that has hands coming out of the back field, you can’t ask for more."
In 2018 Perine caught 13 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown - leading the team in total yards (996) and was second in scoring.
"Perine’s a really good player," added Franks. "One of those guys that you can really rely on.”
Mullen and the Gators will certainly rely on him in 2019.
The Gators head coach has been impressed by Perine's approach to the game this offseason, including his decision to return for one more year.
“I think one of the great things and smart things for him was making a decision to come back to school," said Mullen. "If you look there’s not tons of guys that get 30 something carries a game in the NFL. You see backs that get used all over, motioning out of the backfield, in the pass game, and the receptions, all over the place.. So, you see someone that has really worked on making himself a complete player, not just a great back running the ball, but understanding… make sure he understands protection, make sure he understands route running and the bigger picture of the game.”
Perine always understood the bigger picture, and now he hopes to help his Gators win a championship his senior season.
“I feel like the expectations are always high," said Perine. "That’s what type of coach Coach Mullen is. I wouldn’t say everybody is kind of sleep on us as a unit so we gotta go out and prove all of our hard work is paying off.”
