Gator DE Johnie Church's Great Freshman Season

It can be done. Sure it's a lot to ask of a guy like Ronald Powell or Lynden Trail to come in as true freshmen and have a big season at defensive end in the SEC, but it has been done at Florida so who's to say those guys can't do it this year!

Once upon a time there was one defensive end at Florida. He was in his first year as a Gator and had a great season. Consider that he had 55 or his 61 total tackles over the last eight games of the season which happened to be the games he started. In those starts he averaged 6.9 tackles per game you figure that over 13 games played that season it was a horrid pace that would have totaled 90 tackles, that's all-American stuff.

Johnie Church played around 235 his freshman season, 1992, with the Gators, he was 6-3.

FRESHMAN STATS - 32 solo tackles, 29 assists, 61 total... 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 8 total tackles for loss, 1 pass deflection, 6 quarterback hurries, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. Had 55 tackles in his eight starts, average of 6.9 per game. First career start against Auburn he had 10 tackles. Had 9 tackles, 1.5 quarterback sacks, and a forced hurry against South Carolina.

(RS - redshirted freshman year, TT - total tackles, freshman season total to senior season total from left to right.)

Name	RS	Years played	TT	TT	TT	TT
Johnie Church	-	1992, 93, 94, 95	61	29	20	30
Tim Newton*	-	1981, 82, 83, 84	46	54	79	77
Huey Richardson	-	1987, 88, 89, 90	26	68	79	58
Brad Culpepper	RS	1988, 89, 90, 91	25	60	64	82
Ellis Johnson	-	1991, 92, 93, 94	16	32	55	62
Kevin Carter	-	1981, 82, 83, 84	14	64	59	66
Reggie McGrew	RS	1996, 97, 98	39	26	41	-
Gerard Warren	RS	1998, 99, 00	27	52	76	-
Marcus Thomas	-	2003, 04, 05, 06	47	39	45	-
Ray McDonald	RS	2003, 04, 05, 06	54	39	8	36
Lawrence Marsh	RS	2007, 08, 09	5	28	8	-
Wilbur Marshall	-	1980, 81, 82, 83	0	121	123	95
David Little	-	1977, 78,79, 80	67	138	109	161

Johnie Church - College: Played at the University of Florida from 1992 to 1995... Was part of a distinguished senior class that won four consecutive Southeastern Conference Eastern Division championships, three straight SEC titles, and played in the school's first "national championship" game, the 1996 Fiesta Bowl against eventual national champion Nebraska...Started eight games as a true freshman in 1992...In that first season, he posted 61 tackles and was named a first-team Freshman All-American by USA Today and the Associated Press...Had a rough season in 1993; he was hampered by numerous injuries and notched just 29 tackles...Returned to health in 1994, playing in all 12 games as the Gators marched to the Sugar Bowl...Posted five tackles for losses and six quarterback hurries...Started in 10 out of 12 games as a senior, including the penultimate Fiesta Bowl encounter...Finished second on the team with nine quarterback hurries... Made 30 tackles...Had his biggest game of the season against Vanderbilt, posting a season-high 2.5 sacks and six tackles...