EverBank Field may feel neutral to both the Bulldogs and the Gators, but for Georgia’s John Theus, it feels a lot like home.
The junior left tackle looks forward to his team’s annual pilgrimage to his hometown of Jacksonville for one of the most heated rivalry games in college football.
With Gainesville just a two-hour trip from home, Theus entertained the idea of becoming a Gator.
“They recruited me when Coach (Urban) Meyer was there and then when Coach (Will) Muschamp was there as well,” Theus said. “They were definitely one of my top five schools, right around the corner from home. I always enjoyed my visits there.”
Both he and brother Nathan opted for a school a bit farther from home, but with the perk of an annual trip back that Bulldogs fans treat like a holiday.
From field level, Theus gets one of the best views in EverBank Field — a clear shot of the divide of 67,164 by team color. Although he’s spent the past three years looking up at the stands, Theus got to spend a couple games looking down from them as a spectator.
“We’d go, we’d tailgate, do the whole day experience,” Theus said of his trips to watch Georgia play Florida after committing in high school. “It’s a little bit more relaxed. But it’s definitely cool to see. Being on the fans’ side is definitely a treat.”
Although Theus makes trips to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars play in Everbank Field when he can, the stadium has changed since his last trip there to play Nebraska in the 2013 Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl.
Since the Bulldogs’ loss to the Cornhuskers on Jan. 1, Everbank received a face-lift that included the addition of the world’s largest scoreboard and a pool. Yes, a pool.
“That’s going to be cool to see,” Theus said.
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