Through all the wins, adversity and losses that befell Dante Fowler Jr. and D.J. Humphries, the greatest lesson came at the hands of each other.
Fowler, a defensive end, and Humphries, an offensive tackle, are both predicted to hear their names called on April 30 in Chicago when the NFL holds the first round of the draft.
But both are hesitant to take any form of individual credit.
Instead, they attribute their past and future success to arriving in Gainesville together and battling against each other every day in practice.
"He was my first one-on-one I ever did when I stepped foot in here and he was my last one," Fowler said, when asked about matching up with Humphries. "Toe-to-toe for three years every day in practice and he got me right, and just being able to see him getting the accolades that he deserves, it feels great."
The duo arrived at Florida in 2012 with all of the hype, having garnered five-star ratings from Rivals.com.
They figured that playing for coach Will Muschamp, currently the defensive coordinator at Auburn, would help them reach their full potential.
But it was Fowler rather than Humphries who was highly regarded for three seasons as a Gator.
Considering the early praise, it wasn’t long before Humphries was branded a "bust".
He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the country coming out of Union (N.C.) Mallard Creek High School, yet he had trouble staying healthy and wasn’t a consistent starter until last season.
Once Muschamp was fired as Florida's head coach, Fowler announced on Nov. 18 via Twitter that he would make the leap to the professional level.
Humphries was unsure of his path, and requested an evaluation from the NFL to see if he should leave UF early.
"They told me to stay in school," Humphries said, but he decided "probably on the way back from the Birmingham Bowl that I think I’m going to do it."
After Humphries announced he was leaving, he began to reevaluate his diet. He got his weight up over 300 pounds, and he said he’s in the best shape of his life.
"When I was in college my whole thought process was to stuff as many calories in my face as I can," Humphries said. "Eat a whole pizza before I go to sleep type deal. I just learned I don’t have to do that. I can eat the right stuff. I can eat grilled chicken, right type of pastas and stuff like that, but just eat a lot of it and still gain good weight.
"I’m going to be honest with you, since I been over 300 pounds I’ve been kind of like formed the fat-boy mentality. Nowadays if I don’t eat every three-to-four hours I get a little irritated."
Humphries’ athleticism despite his large frame has NFL teams taking notice.
He’s no longer a projected mid-round draft pick.
Humphries is a bona fide first-rounder, according to multiple mock drafts.
"I know a lot of people had a lot of ifs and doubts about him coming out, but just being able to see how hard he was working in the offseason when we were (training) in Pensacola together and seeing him get his weight up – he looks scary at 300 pounds," Fowler said. "He looks good, though."
There was skepticism regarding both Humphries and Fowler leaving school early, but with the rise the two have seen in their draft stocks, it’s hard not to be optimistic they made the correct choice.
"I think about because I know I was a junior and I could have come back," Fowler said. "But a lot of great things are happening for me right now, and I don’t regret my decision. I’m blessed right now with what’s happening."
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Dante Fowler participates in a drill during Florida's Pro Day on Tuesday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
