GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Lamical Perine saw several Florida juniors enter the NFL draft after Florida's win in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, including fellow running back, Jordan Scarlett.

The Gators' leading rusher in 2018 did flirt with the idea of skipping his senior season, however, after going through the process, he decided that was not the best decision for him.

"I took a very long talk with my mom and my dad. Talked to everybody in my family and made sure it was the right decision for me," said the running back. "I feel like I made the right decision for me and my family. I feel good coming back practicing out here with my brothers."

Perine is expected to be Florida's feature back with Scarlett gone, however, that was not the reason the Alabama native game back.

“I never really cared about that. I just took every opportunity I had and took advantage of it," said Perine. "I’m just glad to be out here, man, and be a part of this team. That’s what I really care about. I don’t really care about how many reps I get. I take advantage of every rep I get.”

As a junior, Perine led the team with 826 yards. Although he is expected to be the number one back this season, Perine is not taking everything for granted. With Malik Davis, Dameon Pierce and Iverson Clement waiting behind him, Perine understands there are no off days.

“Always. You always gotta come out ready to prepare," said Perine. "That’s just like if I was going to the league. I was going to have to beat a guy out as well. I mean, it’s always competition everywhere you go.”

"Ever since I been here it's been like three, four running backs rotating."

Perine is one of Florida's most versatile backs. He can not only run the ball well, but he has established a good reputation as a reliable pass catcher and a sound blocker.

As he enters year two under Dan Mullen, Perine admits this is the best he has felt.

"All the installs and stuff, it’s not as new as it was last year. So I’m picking it up a lot faster, moving a lot faster. Everything’s going good," said Perine. "I’m able to teach a lot of guys, the younger guys who come... everything’s moving faster, so I’m feeling good.”

This year Perine is ready to make his own mark on the program.

First step was to change his number.

"When I first got here, I wanted number 2. I put it, I had on my Twitter, I had a picture of when I first got here on one of my official visits and I told my old running back coach, Coach Skip that I wanted to change my number. But I end up with number 22 and I stuck with it," he explained. "Everybody used to call me baby Emmitt [Smith] once in a while but I wanna set a trend for myself, be my own person. But this is the number I always wanted.

Next continue to progress on the field this spring so that the Gators can head back to Atlanta.

“We want to win the national championship this year. That’s our goal. We don’t want to just win the Peach Bowl," said Perine. "Like, we want to go back to Atlanta but to play for the national championship.”