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Lorenzo Lingard Jr. learned patience and perseverance during the fall of 2019, a period in time that changed the course of his college career.

He thought last year would be a bounce-back season at Miami after missing the final seven games of his freshman campaign with a knee injury. Despite being cleared to play in 2019, the UM staff brought Lingard along slowly and didn’t debut him until Week 6 against Virginia Tech.

After that game, Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz met with Lingard and made a plan for him to redshirt because “he’s not right and he knows that.” He only appeared in two games and didn’t receive any carries all season, but that became the least of his worries.

Lingard could sense something was wrong back home during the year, but didn’t know what. He finally found out before Miami’s regular season finale against Duke.

His father, Lorenzo Lingard Sr., informed him that he was on kidney dialysis and had suffered a mild heart attack.

“He told me before the game, and it was pretty tough,” Lingard said. “I wasn’t in shock because I could tell my dad was having issues, but I had no clue it was that bad with his kidneys.

“I didn’t know about his heart problems, either. So it was a big deal. I was just like, ‘Damn, I wish you would have told me sooner.’”

With his father’s medical condition, Lingard decided to enter the transfer portal in late December and find a school closer to home. He considered Florida and UCF because of their proximity, but all signs pointed to Gainesville.

“I asked God what was the best move and I kept praying on it and getting signs. I just went with my heart,” Lingard said of his decision. “I reached out to Coach Hova (John Herron), committed to the coaches and just completed the paperwork. I didn’t need to visit.”

Lingard knew what the move would do for him and his family. He enrolled at UF in January and spent a few months on campus before the COVID-19 shutdown in mid-March.

During the spring semester, Lingard commuted regularly from Gainesville to Orange City to be with his father and even accompanied him to the doctor’s office.

“By being at Florida, I was able to make two of his appointments that I would have missed before,” Lingard said. “It’s an hour and 40-minute drive, so I was able to go home and be present at his appointments. That made him feel a lot better, just having me there for support. It made me feel good, too.”

Student-athletes can receive a transfer waiver from the NCAA based on a family member's health or their own health, and the new school must be located within 100 miles of the player’s home or the ill family member. Lingard believes his waiver request will be granted.