The Florida pipeline
“Speed kills,” the late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis is credited as saying. “Everything else in the game can be taught, but speed is a gift from God.”
Davis’ mindset revolutionized the sport of football and pushed the evolution of the game into what we see today. If a team wants to compete at a high level, speed is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.
For the Utah State Aggies, that skillset comes from 2,000 miles away.
“Our primary focus is to go get some skill positions, some speed out of Florida,” said Jovon Bouknight, the wide receivers’ coach and Florida recruiter for Utah State. “That’s what they’re known for in that state and that’s what we’re trying to get.”
The Utah State football team has 10 players on the roster from Florida – more than nearby states Idaho, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada combined.
“There’s more division one players that come out of Texas, California and Florida than anywhere else in the country,” said Luke Wells, the recruiting coordinator for the team.
Although Florida (along with Texas and California) is heavily recruited by programs across the nation, there are still players available who fit what Utah State is looking for.
“There’s some schools and some guys that get overlooked and passed on,” Bouknight said.
The success of the program the past three years has made potential recruits listen more intently when Utah State contacts them.
“People see us on TV, they see the wins,” Wells said. “People saw the BYU win on TV, so I think we’re getting to the point where we’re more nationally recognized.”
Even on the other side of the country, the wins have made an impact.
“The fact that we’re winning and that we keep recruiting good players from Florida, it obviously helps,” Bouknight said. “Now that we’re on the map, we can start going after those more attractive players.”
Coming from Florida to the mountains of northern Utah can be a difficult transition for a young player, though. Having teammates with a similar background makes the transition easier.
“The more [Florida players] we add to our roster the more comfortable they feel once they get to camp,” Bouknight said.
Even the weather is a big change for many of the players.
“This is actually the first time I’ve ever seen snow,” said sophomore running back LaJuan Hunt.
Hunt first heard about Utah State when one of his high school teammates was recruited by the Aggies. Senior wide receiver Devonte Robinson attended a community college before coming to Logan. Regardless of the path to Utah State, the Florida players connect with each other once they arrived on campus.
“I think all Florida boys, we just have that connection, just being from Florida,” Hunt said. “Every new Florida guy, we always hit it off.”
That relationship isn’t limited to players who are on the roster now.
“I like to think that I’m paving the way for future guys to come through and do the same thing that I’m doing,” Hunt said.
— thomas.sorenson@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @tomcat340