Growing up in Florida, allegiances are often chosen early. I became a Florida Gators fan when I was 8 years old, long before I knew football would eventually become part of my career. Saturday night, I watched Florida from a much different perspective. Covering the Gators for USA TODAY Sports' Gator Wire, I reflected while the university that helped launch my career stood on the opposite sideline.
I came to understand the magic of Florida right as Steve Spurrier's Gators were becoming one of the defining programs in college football. Danny Wuerffel and the fun n' gun, Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony, Jevon Kearse — names that created unforgettable early memories during my pop-warner years. I watched Florida reach the national championship game in 1995
before breaking through a year later, beating Florida State in the Sugar Bowl to secure their first national title.
The Swamp was electric and Florida seemed to reside in the center of the college football universe. Those teams didn't just make me a Gators fan, they also helped make college football part of my life in a unique way.
I attended Florida Atlantic and worked with the football program from 2008 to around 2011 during the Howard Schnellenberger era. Those years were formative for me and the program. At this time, FAU was still establishing its identity, earning back-to-back bowl appearances and eventually opening an on-campus stadium that represented how far the program had come. My FAU experience coincided with a transformational period for a program that was less than 10 years old.
I had the opportunity to work around the legend that was Schellenberger. I arrived as the Owls were coming off their first bowl victory and I watched them compete in the Motor City Bowl in 2008 to cap back-to-back winning seasons. I watched Rusty Smith grow into the first FAU player selected in the NFL draft and followed as Alfred Morris emerged to be the greatest running back in program history.
FAU came into Saturday's contest overmatched from a talent standpoint, but this isn't a program without continuity or belief. The Owls were the only FBS team to return their entire coaching staff and starting quarterback from last season. Receiver Easton Messer could have left after a breakout junior season and significant interest from other Power Four teams. He chose to stay in Boca Raton. It's a testament to what has been built at FAU.
Florida ultimately proved the talent and depth expected of an SEC program, and my job now allows me to document another new chapter in Gainesville. But watching FAU compete in The Swap reminded me of the foundation I watched being built nearly two decades ago.
For a kid who fell in love with college football in this state, Saturday night brought all three parts of the journey together.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida-FAU game brings writer's college football journey full circle
