By Jeremy Fowler
Orlando Sentinel
February 6, 2010
GAINESVILLE — While Tim Tebow monopolizes the NFL draft headlines, the other star Florida Gator who returned for a senior season last year now quietly prepares for the pros.
That's what Brandon Spikes does best — stay quiet. Spikes hardly conducted interviews during his senior season at Florida, and his recent play didn't exactly electrify college football.
Spikes had his worst season in 2009. He missed two games to a groin injury, one to a suspension for an eye-gouging incident against Georgia and finished with a pedestrian 52 tackles while fighting through heel tendinitis. Teammate Ryan Stamper outplayed him at linebacker.
Still, the Gators defensive captain says he has no regrets as he looks toward his "dream" of playing in the NFL. Spikes is expected to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis from Feb. 24 to March 2.
"I'm anxious to get started," said Spikes, one of 10 Gators expected to appear in Indianapolis. "Hopefully, I can go to the league and grab it by the neck."
Since his sophomore year in 2007, Spikes earned a reputation as a menacing defensive presence that placed fear in the eyes of running backs. At 6-foot-3, 258 pounds with dreads spilling out of his helmet, Spikes is a great open-field tackler while serving as the team's vocal leader.
Those attributes will serve him well at the next level, but he faces challenges that didn't exist at Florida, where his talent could take over.
Spikes must prove he has the closing speed to play on Sundays.
"How he runs at the combine is very important to him," said Rob Rang, director of NFLdraftscout.com. "He has the build, the makeup, the ferocity to be a consistent linebacker in the league, but he doesn't look fast on film. If he stays in shape and runs a respectable 40 time, that can go a long way."
Spikes' legacy at UF transcends draft positioning. With Spikes in the middle the last two years, the Gators went 26-2 and came one ugly Southeastern Conference championship game from a chance at back-to-back national titles.
His production dipped drastically each year — from 131 tackles in 2007 more than 30 tackles less in each of his next two years — but he was always there to make the big play for Florida. Four of Spikes' six career interceptions went for touchdowns.
Next year's Gators must regroup without Spikes, Tebow, Stamper, receiver Riley Cooper and five early NFL draft entrants.
Spikes says he's eager to see how Florida develops
"Those younger players know what we started and the legacy we have here," Spikes said. "They just want to keep it going. I say it all the time to my younger group, the linebacker corps, those guys are talented. The sky's the limit for those guys. If they continue to work and buy into the program, they'll have the same success."