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Florida announces honorary Mr. Two Bits for rivalry showdown with No. 19 Miami

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

The Freak is returning to The Swamp.

Florida announced Tuesday that Gator Great Jevon Kearse will serve as UF’s honorary Mr. Two Bits for Saturday’s rivalry showdown with No. 19 Miami.

Kearse was a standout edge defender at Florida, contributing from 1996-98 after a redshirt year in 1995. At 6-5, 265 pounds with impressive speed to make plays in the backfield, Kearse earned the nickname “The Freak.”

Over 3 seasons, Kearse recorded 145 total tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 1 recovered fumble, and 19 pass breakups. He was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American recognition in 1998.

Kearse’s freak athleticism would also translate to the NFL. He was selected No. 16 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Kearse was a Titan through the 2003 season. He was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 after recording 14.5 sacks, also earning first-team All-Pro honors. His rookie year would be the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl selections.

After his time with the Titans, Kearse played his next four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He would return to Tennessee in 2008, spending his final two professional seasons with the Titans.

Kearse’s career NFL statistics include 313 tackles, 74 sacks, 26 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. Now 47, Kearse still feels like he could get another sack.

“I’m still in the gym four days a week, lifting, doing cardio, on the treadmill,” Kearse told Chris Harry for FloridaGators.com. “I still think I could give a team about 12 to 15 plays off the edge on the third down … as long as they spaced ’em out.”

Kearse won’t be available to play, but a strong pass rush could go a long way for the Gators on Saturday against Miami. The Hurricanes are led by transfer QB Cam Ward. At Washington State, Ward completed 65.5% of his passes for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns to 16 interceptions, adding 13 scores as a rusher.

The rivalry showdown is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, airing on ABC.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.

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