GAINESVILLE, Fla. – John Huggins has made the switch over to the Star position on defense well. All spring he has stood out, and the Orange and Blue game was no different.
On the first drive he was in the game Kyle Trask dropped back and fired a ball to the far sideline for a five-yard out. A few seconds later Huggins was in the end zone celebrating a pick-six.
The rising sophomore has been making plays like that all spring, and wants to prove he can do so on a regular basis.
“It’s big. It’s big for me, just letting the coaches know I can play, that I can solidify myself here at the University of Florida, at DBU, and it’s just a great feeling,” Huggins said of his play.
Heading into spring there were some questions as to how Huggins would take to a new position. Throughout spring practice though we have seen him continue to develop and look more and more comfortable at his new position.
“He’s a guy that obviously has great athletic ability as a young player coming in last year,” head coach Dan Mullen said.
“You want to see it now – understanding the defense and really getting comfortable playing the nickel position and getting those reps and being able to play at a higher level.”
Last season as a true freshman at safety Huggins picked off a ball in the season opener. He was ecstatic and thought it was going to lead to a great season for him.
Unfortunately, though he didn’t see much of the field on defense and was not a factor and it wavered his confidence.
“Last year in the fall I got a little down on myself because there was a lot of guys ahead of me,” Huggins said. “It’s just being a young guy around experience, experienced vets. You just gotta keep a positive mindset, just keep playing.”
When he felt down and unsure of himself he went to one of his closest friends on the team, Jachai Polite.
“I was close with Jachai Polite. He’s my guy right there,” Huggins said. “I always talked to him, go to him if I needed anything. “(He said to) just keep working. Keep working and don’t get down on yourself. He didn’t play a lot his freshman year, and he’s about to get paid. Just keep the right mindset.”
It looks like Polites advice, a change and position have paid off for the 6-foot, 206-pound nickel back. He is more confident and loves playing his new position.
“Really just getting my hands on guys,” Huggins said about what he likes at Star. “I like getting my hands on guys. I think I’m a pretty physical DB, and I like jamming at the line of scrimmage, I like playing man.
“There’s a lot more man. You’re on an island so it’s really just a lot of one-on-one and I like that. I like that responsibility.”
His development has come a long way in a short time, but Huggins is never fully satisfied and he knows there are things he can still improve on.
“Really just working my technique off man, off man coverage, tight man coverage and really just learning,” Huggins said.
“Learning new formations and just playing, keeping my eyes on your hip of the receivers and deep routes and stuff like that and really just learn, learn new formations and tight coverage’s and all that good stuff.”
Huggins and the rest of the secondary have high expectations for themselves this fall and know what the ultimate goal is.
“We want to be SEC champions,” Huggins said. “We want to go all the way. So, really just working our craft, getting faster, stronger. Just the normal things.”
