Andre Debose said he didn’t want the hype, not that fans were going to oblige.
When Debose signed with UF in 2009, he immediately drew comparisons to Percy Harvin. The YouTube highlight tapes showed Debose could be a matchup nightmare with his big-play potential when the ball was in his hands or in the air, making him a natural fit to replace Harvin in the Gators’ hybrid position.
In the weeks before and after National Signing Day, Debose tried to convince outsiders that he wasn’t Percy 2.0. But the comparisons kept coming, and even coach Urban Meyer wasn’t helping him stay out of the spotlight.
“I’ve got to tell you, this Andre Debose — I know I can’t single guys out, but I’m going to single him out,” Meyer said after he signed. “He’s as good as there is. I think he’s the best player in America. … Before I came down here, I flipped on his highlight tape one more time so I’ll leave with a big smile on my face.”
Before he could practice with the Gators, however, Debose suffered a hamstring injury in May 2009 while running track for Sanford Seminole High. Once he enrolled, UF trainers discovered Debose had tendon damage that required season-ending surgery.
But Debose called the injury “a blessing in disguise.” While fans became infatuated with the Gators’ newest crop of recruits, Debose slipped away from the center of attention.
“I like the anonymous Andre Debose,” he said at UF’s media day on Aug. 10. “I’m not too much into the rah-rah, always in the spotlight (players). That’s not me at all.”
As much as he likes that ambiguity, though, Debose will soon find himself back in the limelight as he and junior Chris Rainey compete for playing time at the slot position made famous by Harvin. And with that attention comes pressure, as the performance of whoever plays in the hybrid role could determine how explosive UF’s offense will be this season.
With Debose injured and Rainey at running back last year, the Gators did not have a player with the skill set to be a dual-threat like Harvin had been. In 2008, Harvin touched the ball 110 times, leading to 1,303 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns.
Last season, receiver Riley Cooper led all non-return men with 975 yards of total offense — all but 14 of which came through the air.
UF wants defenses to account for the slot receiver running the ball, though, and receivers coach Zach Azzanni said Rainey has a slight edge because of his experience and the extra 15 practices he spent in the hybrid spot during the spring.
For his part, Debose’s athletic ability could give defensive coordinators nightmares, Azzanni said. But getting back on the field, and into the spotlight, will depend on his ability to learn the offense.
“He runs really fast and he jumps really high and he has great body position catching the ball,” Azzanni said. “Now it’s my job to make sure he does all the other things, the details.”
