GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- At Florida, it's good to be the 'juice guy.'
No this is not a reboot of Adam Sandler's 'Waterboy' with some high quality juice on the sideline. The 'juice guy' is the man to know on the defensive side of the ball.
“Recently we’ve been doing this thing called 'the juice guy,'" Antonneous Clayton said. “You know who makes the most plays, who has the most juice, the up-tempo guy at practice.”
Whether its the turnover chain or the WWE style turnover the belt or the Gators own turnover board from years part, these traditions help motivate and fire up a defense.
So who has been squeezing out the most praise? According to several defensive linemen, thats easy, Jachai Polite is your 'juice guy.'
“And then you know Coach (Todd) Grantham, he’ll do this thing like he’ll get a siren and he’ll play a song like ‘oh who’s the juice guy of the day?’ And he’ll put them on the screen," explained Clayton.
The 'juice guy' is named at the end of every practice. According to defensive lineman Elijah Concliffe, Polite has won it the most.
Although Polite has made a big impact early in camp he does not seem to concerned about his individual effort. To him it is a team and not a one-man show.
"I mean it's all one,” Polite said. “One person can disrupt things, but like it's a team thing, so I don't really see it like that. It's a position."
Polite spent most of the offseason bulking up and rehabbing his shoulder and said “it’s feeling pretty good.”
"I ain't going to say it's 100, but I'm ready,” Polite added. “I'm not going to get hurt again."
Now four days into camp Polite said it has been a grind - refreshing his mind and going over the plays has been tough, but said he likes how he fits in Grantham's system.
"I like it a lot, because it frees me up,” Polite said. “Me, CeCe [Jefferson' and [Jeremigh] Moon, [Andrew] Chatfield, Nick Smith, James Houston, free all us up. It gives us more opportunities to have one-on-ones to get the passer, just make plays."
Polite now plays a hybrid edge rusher in Grantham's 3-4 defense - which means he can set up in multiple positions and take advantage of one-on-one opportunities.
“You don't have to worry about another person helping inside or anything,” Polite said. “Coach Grantham, he schemes it up very good to where we just all work as one and whoever wins, wins.
“You're gonna make a play at the end of the day. Someone's making a play all the time."
Learning a new system can be tough, but Polite said it has been an enjoyable experience.
"It's very fun because I play a new position,” Polite said. “Kind of like a dream position, but it's not hard. It's not hard."
Another big emphasis has been put on turnovers. The Gators ranked 12th in the Southeastern Conference last year and Grantham has made that a major point throughout practice so far.
“We're Florida,” Polite said. “Defense, offense, we're known for turnovers, big plays. We're just trying to get it back."
After a disappointing season a year ago Polite said he is ready to show everybody they are not a 4-7 team, and the Gators are bringing the juice this season.
“We've got something to prove,” Polite said. “Everybody's just throwing us to the side, but we're the Florida Gators. We're going to show them."
