2003: Named The Sporting News SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year...Named to The Sporting News All-Freshman team and Rivals.com All-America team...Named to the Scripps/FWAA All-America Team...Named Second-Team All-SEC (Coaches)...Named the Collegefootballnews.com Freshman of the Year...Selected to the SEC-All Freshman Team (Coaches)...Named to the Knoxville News Sentinel All-Freshman Team...Played in 11 games (all but SJSU and Ole Miss) with nine starts (Miami, FAMU, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Iowa)...Nine starts is the most by a freshman linebacker in school history...After week eleven, leads the nation in tackles by a freshman... Ranked first among linebackers, first among UF's true freshmen and tied for ninth on the team, with 816 plays despite missing two games... Became the first true freshman of 2003 to start for the Gators and was the first true freshman LB to start since Travis Harris started four games in 2000...Underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Oct. 1, prior to the Mississippi game, and missed the Mississippi game...Returned vs. eventual national champion LSU 10 days after surgery to lead the linebacking unit with seven tackles...Led the linebackers with 106 tackles (avg. 9.6 per game), ranking second on the team, despite missing two games...Also had five TFLs, two sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble...Led the defense with a then career-high 12 tackles and one pass deflection vs. Arkansas...Led the defense vs. Vanderbilt with a career-high 15 tackles and a TFL...Pressured Kentucky's Jared Lorenzen, forcing a game-turning interception, setting up a Gator TD to give UF the win...Led the defense with 15 total tackles vs. Georgia, also recorded five TFL and 0.5 sacks...Finished his first game tied for third on the defense with six tackles, including four solo hits, and a pass breakup vs. Miami...Led the defense with 14 tackles versus South Carolina, also recorded a pass breakup...Ranked second on the defense with 11 tackles vs. Tennessee...Also had a pass breakup, was in on a sack and had a TFL...Was one of four freshmen to record a sack in 2003...

High School: A highly regarded linebacker from Georgia who garnered prep All-America recognition... Named to SuperPrep's All-America Team and that publication ranked him among the nation's top 30 linebackers...All-America honors from PrepStar and that publication ranked him among the southeast's top 10 linebackers...114 tackles in 2001 with 7.5 QB sacks for North Springs HS while also rushing for over 800 yards...Named one of the top four linebackers in the state of Georgia by Atlanta Journal-Constitution...Named to the AJC's Super 11...Team MVP in 2001...Also visited Penn State, Georgia, South Carolina and N.C. State...High school coach was Kevin Whitley...

Courtesy UF Sports Information