When UF hosts FSU on Senior Day in November, kicker Jonathan Phillips will be recognized for playing his last game in The Swamp.
Again.
When the 2008 season ended, Phillips considered his career as a Gator to be over. He had already spent four seasons in Gainesville, and he was ready to move on to law school.
But coach Urban Meyer had an idea to give Phillips one more season. He wanted Phillips to apply for a medical redshirt for 2007, when he missed most of the season with an injury.
"It came up right before the (Southeastern Conference) Championship because Coach was thinking about it, and there was a lot of negative feedback that I wouldn't be able to get a medical redshirt," Phillips said. "Just after signing day, I went in and talked to some people, and I asked Coach if it would be okay to go for it anyway."
When Meyer gave him the go-ahead, Phillips filled out the paperwork and wrote a letter explaining the circumstances of his injury. He wasn't expecting much, but during spring break, Phillips got some surprising news in a call from Meyer.
He had been granted a redshirt and will be eligible to help the Gators defend their national title.
"Last year went so well that I figured, 'Why not do it again?'" said Phillips, who's currently working toward a master's degree in real estate.
Phillips was 12 of 13 on field goal attempts last season and connected on 78 of 79 extra points - the lone miss being a blocked PAT that proved to be the difference in a 31-30 loss to Mississippi. His solid performance made him a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's best place-kicker.
But 2009 won't just be a casual stroll down memory lane for Phillips. Florida lost experienced longsnapper James Smith and holder Butch Rowley to graduation, two essential parts of Phillips' field goal operation.
"This year the biggest challenge will be the whole field goal unit," Phillips said. "Last year I had James Smith and Butch, who had been snapping and holding for three or four years. Now we have two new guys, so we have to work on that. Butchie and Smitty made everything easy on me, but now I have to get used to the new guys."
John Fairbanks (field goals) and Mike Williamson (punts) will take over the snapping duties, while punter Chas Henry and receiver Cade Holliday are vying for the holder spot.
And Phillips is still working his way back into playing shape. After last season, he said he wasn't kicking as regularly as he usually would, and he was a little rusty when he started up again.
His goal for this season is to become a go-to player in close games. Last year, he only attempted two field goals of 40 yards or longer, hitting from 40 and missing from 42.
"A lot of times people assume I can't kick that far because I haven't in a game," Phillips said. "On a good day, I can hit a ball from 60 yards-plus, but once you get back that far, it's just a consistency issue. I'm confident that if an opportunity ever presents itself when we really need it that we'll take that chance."
