Gators fifth-year senior DT Omar Hunter, a Georgia native, ready for final game against Dawgs
Defensive tackle Omar Hunter has been with the Florida Gators since their 2008 championship season and finally is living up to his potential.
As a red-shirt senior, he is posting the best numbers of his career. He is sixth on the team with 25 tackles, which already puts him close to his total for all of last season. He also has three tackles for loss and has knocked down three passes.
“He’s really playing his best football since he’s been here,” coach Will Muschamp said. “A lot of that goes to our off-season program. He accepted the challenges in front of him and he certainly has capitalized.”
This week’s game has an interesting feel for Hunter, who grew up in Buford, Ga.
No. 3 Florida takes on No. 12 Georgia in Jacksonville on Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS) with the SEC Eastern Division at stake. The Gators would clinch it with a win. Georgia is only one game behind and could take firm control of the race.
Hunter, oddly, hated the Bulldogs long before he made it to Gainesville. Instead, he grew up rooting for Florida State, which might be even stranger. Either way, he said this game has no special meaning to him and he is simply “preparing like I always have.”
The only difference is he has far more ticket requests from family and friends.
“I bought everybody tickets for this game,” he said. “Everybody asks me for tickets to the Georgia game. It’s going to be fun, but I treat it like any other game.”
To many Florida fans, it seems as though Hunter has been around forever. He is one of the last remaining links to the Tim Tebow era.
For him, though, it feels like whirlwind.
“It’s crazy, man,” Hunter said. “I never thought I’d be right here right now talking about my last Florida-Georgia game. It’s gone by really fast.”
