INSIDE ◗ After surviving a pair of SEC road tests, quarterback Jeff Driskel and Florida have a favorable schedule going forward. ONLINE ◗ Check out alligatorSports.org for coverage of Saturdays’s KICKOFF game against UK, plus UF soccer and volleyball recaps. KICKOFF Editor Greg Luca ◗ Cover Photo David Carr ◗ Cover Design Aundre Larrow and Landon Watnick Alligator, Friday, September 22, 2012 Running with Purpose Patience and perseverance pay off for Gillislee ADAM PINCUS was repping out, waiting and recovering, and ner’s carries the rest of the way. Alligator Staff Writer went right back to work.” Prior to this season’s opener against Bowling Smith served as offensive coordinator when Green, when he ran the football 24 times, Gil- With each carry, Mike Gillislee runs farther Mike and Kentrell ran in the same backfi eld for lislee hadn’t received more than 11 carries in a away from the dangers of DeLand. His cousin the Bulldogs. Now he’s the head coach at Cres- game. Kentrell Gillislee, meanwhile, deals with the cent City High. Although he led the Gators with a 5.9 yards perils of their hometown every day. “When kids come out of that area (DeLand) per carry average in 2011, he fi nished with 56 at- While Mike leads the Southeastern Confer- and do good for themselves, that whole city tempts — well behind Demps’ 98 and Rainey’s ence in rushing, Kentrell is working at Captain supports them,” Smith said. “They know what 171. D’s Seafood Restaurant. type of area that is.” He was also used mostly in garbage time, “I have a part-time job, but that’s not what it Last year, Kentrell’s 16-year-old cousin, Cal- with only two of his 56 attempts coming in the is around here,” Kentrell said. “I can’t stand the vin Nealy Jr., died from the bullet of another second half with either team down one score or area. It gets hard. If you don’t get a scholarship teenager’s gun. Nealy was the second young less. to play football, you have to be an A+ student adult from DeLand shot between March 20 and Although the Gators experienced trouble to get up out of here. Other than that, there’s April 2 of 2011. running between the tackles last season, Gil- people around here that sell dope and shoot. It’s Through it all, Mike found his way to lislee did not see as much playing time as his Gainesville, where he’s running with more than high school coordinator felt he should have. not the right place for anybody.” David Carr / Alligator Staff just the Gators in mind. “I used to give him the ball 30 times a game,” An accusation of lewd battery in 2009 ruined After three seasons spent mostly on the bench, running back Mike Gillislee has taken over Kentrell’s shot at a Division I football scholar- “He’s trying to do this not only for himself, Smith said. “Heck yeah, I wanted him to have ship. After receiving interest from Central Flor- but for his whole city,” Smith said. “He’s got a more playing time, because I knew what he had the starting role at UF. Through three games, he leads the SEC with 346 rushing yards. ida, Florida International and Illinois, he settled lot of friends he left behind still doing wrong in him.” rules. the bench, Gillislee leads the SEC in rushing. on a football scholarship to Edward Waters whose only hope is him.” Florida fi nished eighth in the SEC in rushing He agreed to deferred prosecution following “I’m glad he’s there (at Florida),” Smith said. College in Jacksonville, but stayed for just one On the football fi eld, Gillislee heads into the last season. Against No. 1 LSU, Gillislee led the an arrest in May on misdemeanor marijuana “I’m glad he’s playing big-time football, be- year. fourth game of his senior season at Florida with Gators with 56 yards. He had the talent, but his possession charges. cause he deserves it. He came up from a rough The cousins, both 21 years old, played to- the Gators’ hopes for 2012 largely on his shoul- downhill running style didn’t fi t Charlie Weis’ He also missed the fi rst two games this sea- area and he was never one of those kids who gether at DeLand High. Football has always ders. offense. son for undisclosed reasons. stayed out on the streets. He seemed like he al- been part of their bond, back to the days when To this point, he hasn’t disappointed. “Last year we had those two little fast guys Saunders may have gotten in some trouble ways wanted to do something with it.” they would do barefoot imitations of Emmitt Through three games, Gillislee has rushed that were kind of the same player, so that mini- at Florida, but Gillislee helped the safety land Contact Adam Pincus at [email protected]. Smith in the middle of South Clara Avenue dur- for 346 yards and scored four touchdowns. His mized his touches,” Weis said. with the Gators in the fi rst place. ing their childhood. yardage total is the highest for any Florida rush- A struggling Florida offensive line didn’t “He was one of those hot heads,” Kentrell Alfred Smith coached at DeLand from 2002- er through a season’s fi rst three games since help Gillislee, either. said of Saunders. “He looked up to Mike, be- 2012 and has seen the development of the cous- Ciatrick Fason gained 396 yards in 2004. Fason “We didn’t block as well as we’re blocking cause [Saunders] was a sophomore playing on ins on and off the fi eld. Smith remembered was Florida’s last 1,000 yard rusher. right now,” Gators coach Will Muschamp said. varsity. He always asked us questions and we when he fi rst saw Mike in the weight room. Gillislee’s success has been a long time com- “Not taking anything away from Mike, because tried to stick with him, because we knew ev- There was something different about him as a ing for the senior who arrived at Florida as the he’s running really well, but we’re a little dif- eryone around the city does drugs. We just told PROBABLE freshman. lone running back in Urban Meyer’s 2009 re- ferently equipped in the running game than we him to keep on the right path, because he had OT Darrian Miller (ankle) Football was Mike’s big ticket, and he knew cruiting class. were a year ago.” the talent, too.” QB Maxwell Smith (shoulder) it from a young age, Smith said. During the last three seasons, Gillislee took Smith made sure his former player stayed “He’s trying to do this “That kid wanted to get strong,” Smith said. a back seat to speedsters Chris Rainey and Jeff focused, even with the public clamoring for Gil- “He would come into the weight room and he’d Demps. lislee to get in the game. not only for himself, but QUESTIONABLE bust his butt. He wouldn’t be going in there Injuries also kept Gillislee on the sidelines Fans chimed in on Twitter with “#freegilly” for his whole city. ” CB Cartier Rice (quadriceps) laughing and playing with the other kids. He last season. He suffered a sprained ankle against hashtags and messages pleading for him to Alfred Smith OT Trevino Woods (ankle) LSU on Oct. 8, which limited the physical run- touch the football, which still make appearances former DeLand assistant coach during Gators game days in 2012. “I kept in touch with him, because I knew it Smith added: “Whenever Pop was into some DOUBTFUL was tough on him,” Smith said. “He knew he crap, we’d be like ‘Hey Mike, you have to go S Josh Forrest (hip) could do it and he knew a lot of people knew he talk to him.’ He’d get right on it. He was like a could do it. It seemed like he just wasn’t getting big brother to Pop.” RB CoShik Williams (hip) the chance. The only thing I was doing was tell- Gillislee looked out for his teammates. When ing him to be patient.” Sandersfi eld, who was named the captain of the OUT High school teammates took notice of how offensive line in 2008, broke his leg before the TE Gabe Correll (hip flexor) the former four-star recruit handled the lack of season, Gillislee showed his center some love by playing time. visiting him. RB Josh Clemons (knee) “He had to wait his turn,” former DeLand “I felt pretty bad,” Sandersfi eld said. “I re- center Tim Sandersfi eld said. “A lot of people member Mike coming over the house sitting would’ve transferred, but Mike had his mind there playing Xbox with me. Not even talking on the goal and took whatever it took to get about football. Just hanging out with me.” there.” His selfl ess attitude extended beyond one- With touches rare, Gillislee worked on the on-one situations. special teams units during his fi rst three years “I know Mike was from a low-income area, PROBABLE at Florida. but he always took care of his teammates,” RB Mike Gillislee (groin) “He’s a guy that never complains,” Mus- Sandersfi eld said. “I remember going out to OT Chaz Green (ankle) champ said. “He was on our kickoff return team dinner and him covering me. He always had and our punt block team last year.