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UF's Hargreaves always strives for another level

 
Florida Gators defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III (1) celebrates after a 27-3 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. (LOREN ELLIOTT  | Times)
Florida Gators defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III (1) celebrates after a 27-3 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. (LOREN ELLIOTT | Times)
Published Nov. 5, 2015

GAINESVILLE

Hours had passed since his pivotal pick against Georgia, and Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves was still unhappy with himself. • The Wharton High alumnus had snagged the tipped pass, juked left and cut across the field before flying out of bounds. Hargreaves' interception set up a touchdown that gave the Gators a 20-0 lead and helped put them one win from winning the SEC East Division. • But the play continued to nag him. • "I've got to get in the end zone somehow," he said. "I've got to find a way." • Such are the problems when you're an All-America cornerback starring on one of the nation's top defenses: You're upset that none of your team-leading four interceptions have ended with touchdowns. • Practically everything else has gone flawlessly for Hargreaves, a projected NFL first-round pick. His four interceptions are already the 12th best single-season total in program history, and he's one of the focal points of the No. 11 Gators, who can clinch the division title with a win Saturday over Vanderbilt.

"I've been around the great ones," Gators associate head coach Randy Shannon said before the season. "He can be one of the great ones."

Coaches and players across the state have known that for years.

Shannon remembers watching Hargreaves play tailback and returning kicks in peewee football, back when his dad coached with Shannon at Miami.

"He was a little jitterbug growing up," Shannon said. "He was very fast with the football in his hand, making plays. He just took the other route."

Not long after Hargreaves landed at Wharton before the 2010 season, it was obvious that the other route was the right one. Florida State offered him a scholarship after his sophomore season, and he commanded the respect of some of Tampa Bay's top high school players and programs.

"You can tell who are the big players and who are the scrubs and stuff," said Alvin Bailey, a UF receiver who played against Hargreaves while at Armwood High. "On the defense, it was Vernon."

The five-star production followed Hargreaves to Gainesville. Only six players in the country have more career interceptions than Hargreaves (10). His 35 career passes defended are tied for eighth nationally.

Teammates rave about the athleticism, fundamentals and leadership of the 5-foot-11, 199-pound junior.

"He just does everything right," defensive back Brian Poole said.

But what might be the most impressive thing about Har­greaves isn't his highlight reel, or his 152 yards on interception returns — fifth most nationally — or the three picks he brought inside the opponents' red zone.

It's the behind-the-scenes work that makes those big plays happen.

"He does little extra things that people don't see," defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. "He does those things, and he kind of does them on his own."

What sticks out to Collins is the way Hargreaves studies and takes notes while consistently being one of the first players to arrive for meetings or film study.

Defensive lineman Jordan Sherit remembers the way Hargreaves would sneak out of his room on Saturday mornings in the offseason to watch film or run up and down the stadium's steps.

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"He's a guy that works in silence," said Sherit, a Hillsborough High alumnus. "I don't think I've seen anybody prepare like he does."

That preparation shows up on Saturdays.

Hargreaves obviously has the athletic ability to make plays on a loaded defense fueling the Gators' return to relevance. But his work during the week also has him predicting what an opponent will run before the ball is even snapped.

"He'll call a route out before it happens," said linebacker Anthony Harrell, a Jesuit High alumnus. "He knows what's coming. It's really just reacting."

And trying to finally find a way into the end zone.

Contact Matt Baker at mbaker@tampabay.com. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.