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Taking A Back Seat

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 27, 2007

GAINESVILLE - University of Florida safety Kyle Jackson can't bear to see his picture in the newspaper anymore.

'It's kind of hard to block it out,' Jackson said, 'when every time you open the newspaper and your face is on there and the headline is 'Jackson might not start' or 'Jackson this' or 'Jackson that.''

Tight end Tate Casey has a different problem. After playing sparingly in the Gators' first two games, Casey hasn't played a down because of an ankle injury that has accelerated a slide down the depth chart.

It wasn't supposed to be this way for the only two true freshmen to start for Florida in 2004. When Coach Urban Meyer took over following that season, Jackson and Casey were supposed to team with Meyer to lead the Gators into a bright new era. That era has arrived, but Jackson and Casey, now seniors, have had trouble reprising the starring roles they filled as freshmen.

Jackson lost his starting free safety job to Reggie Nelson in October 2005. When Nelson moved on to the NFL after last season, Jackson saw his chance to grab his old job. Jackson won the position during camp but has been replaced by freshman Major Wright in three of Florida's four games. This week, Meyer said he will make a 'game-time decision' as to who will start.

Meanwhile, Jackson has become a whipping boy on a team that receives near-universal praise. After Jackson gambled Saturday against Ole Miss, missing an interception and allowing a 19-yard touchdown, a user on GatorBait.net's Alligator Alley message board started a thread titled 'Kyle Jackson.' Out of 37 posts, 13 called for Jackson to be benched, four criticized the others for being too harsh on Jackson, 19 discussed other issues facing Florida's pass coverage and one insinuated the writer nearly threw his remote at Jackson's televised image.

Casey has not received nearly as much attention. After an eight-catch, four-touchdown freshman season that seemed to portend a bright future, Casey learned that Meyer's offense didn't utilize the tight end the same way as former Florida coordinator Larry Fedora's. Casey said Meyer never planned to eliminate the tight end, but Casey knew his role might change. Casey, who said his upbringing in predominantly blue-collar Longview, Texas, taught him to work through difficult times instead of quitting, said he never considered a transfer.

'Everybody had the chance to leave, but that's their own choice,' Casey said. 'Coach came in. Everybody knew what he was going to do. You could see what was going to take place. You'd be an idiot to walk out the door on what was going to happen.'

Casey caught 10 passes in Meyer's first season and played in most situations that called for a tight end, but last year he lost playing time to converted quarterback Cornelius Ingram, a receiver/tight end hybrid better equipped to play in the slot.

Casey found himself relegated mostly to red-zone duty. And while he caught two touchdowns - on the now-famous 'jump pass' against LSU and on a trick play in the Southeastern Conference title game - his playing time looked to dwindle even more with the arrival of highly touted freshman Aaron Hernandez, a player Casey helped recruit to Florida.

An elbow injury in the spring and a high ankle sprain suffered in August squelched Casey's chance to compete for more playing time, but he refuses to give up. Despite the injuries, Casey will try to claw his way back into the lineup.

Casey and Jackson could have transferred or become locker room cancers, but neither has. Casey is one of the team's most popular players. Jackson, meanwhile, has tried to help train the player who ultimately could take his job.

'He could turn it to a negative, but he's been really positive,' Gators co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said of Jackson. 'He's been a tremendous help to Major.'

Jackson, while frustrated by the situation, harbors no bitterness. Neither does Casey, who said any athlete has to expect adversity. Casey made a choice, he said, and he must accept the consequences as well as the rewards.

'It's not on anybody but you,' Casey said. 'You don't point fingers. If you're an unselfish player, you'll never point a finger. Everybody here wanted to be a Gator, except for the guys that left. I'm a Gator. I'm in.'

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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