GAINESVILLE — Earnest Graham had made his living as a tailback dodging defenders, but his stiff-arm was useless against his son, Myles.
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A determined 10-year-old linebacker-to-be, Myles Graham doggedly pursued his father for the chance to follow in his footsteps. Knowing football’s rewards came with risks, Earnest Graham wanted his son to wait — even if he was born to play.
Eventually, Myles won the battle of wills.
“He couldn’t resist,’ he told the Orlando Sentinel. “I kept begging him every single day. I was on his neck about it. He finally just was like, whatever, go ahead and play.
“He didn’t really want me to play until high school.”
Florida coaches, teammates and SEC ballcarriers have since become familiar with Graham’s relentless approach.
His trademark dreadlocks were a constant in the pile of bodies last season as the sophomore linebacker emerged as one of the bright stops in an otherwise dismal 4-8 season. He led the Gators with 76 tackles, seven for loss, and seven quarterback hurries.
“I’m always at the ball,” he said. “If you’re looking for me, look at the ball, you’ll find me.”
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior believes his best football is still ahead.
“I have so much left in the tank that I haven’t even shown yet,” he said. “Being able to make game-changing plays, impact plays, that’s a big deal for me.”
Graham has already earned enough respect to represent Florida on Wednesday at SEC Media Days in Tampa alongside running back Jadan Baugh, receiver Vernell Brown III and first-year coach Jon Sumrall.
Limited during spring practice while recovering from shoulder surgery, Graham wasn’t expecting the invitation.
“I was injured, so still being picked means a lot to me,” he said. “I definitely don’t take it for granted. I’m not entitled to it. That’s a really big deal for me.
“I always wanted to go.”
Graham’s humility has impressed Florida’s coaches as much as his talent.
A 2024 Under Armour All-American and Rivals 5-star prospect, Graham arrived with lofty expectations but little ego.
“That ain’t an act. That’s him,” former Florida All-American linebacker Mike Peterson told the Sentinel. “I can’t say enough good things about him. His off-the-field presence, it’s real and it’s contagious.”
As a player, Peterson believes the 20-year-old “is set up for greatness.”
The 14-year NFL veteran said Graham’s ability to diagnose plays and react instantly separated him before he arrived at Florida, first at Woodward Academy in Atlanta and later at Gainesville Buchholz High.
“You can’t coach that,” Peterson said. “I saw that a long time ago. I said, ‘He’s got it.’ Some guys are just robots. He has the instincts, so he’ll make a lot of plays for you.”
Like many gifted youngsters, Graham began his career at quarterback, playing for the Dunbar Rattlers in Fort Myers.
His personality, though, always fit defense. Growing up with cousins TJ and Titus Bullard, backyard games quickly became full-contact affairs.
“We used to just go wrestle. We used to play kill the carrier — whoever got the ball, everybody tackled him,” Graham recalled. “That competitive mentality, just grew up doing that. That was like all we did. Just play ball, have fun, hit each other, wrestle. We were just rough.
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“That just translates to now.”
Graham’s football IQ, maturity and leadership have made him one of the program’s cornerstones.
Sumrall, a former SEC linebacker at Kentucky, identified Graham as one of five players essential to the Gators’ rebuild. Graham quickly re-signed and helped convince Brown, Baugh, receiver Dallas Wilson and edge rusher Jayden Woods to stay.
“Coach Sumrall really stressed to me that I was gonna be a big part of helping keep this thing together,” Graham said. “So that was really important to me.”
Graham now wants to lead a turnaround.
Florida’s defense showed flashes early last season before losing its edge as injuries and losses piled up.
“We just kind of fell apart,” Graham said. “I can’t really put my finger on one thing, but with with us losing and injuries, it didn’t end the way we wanted to. We had a lot of potential, and I wish it didn’t end that way.
“But I think this year will be a whole lot better.”
Through a 1-3 start, Billy Napier’s firing and lopsided November losses at Kentucky and to Tennessee in the Swamp, Graham consistently faced reporters after games.
“Being a leader on a team, you got to own the product that’s on the field,” he said. “Whenever we won, whenever we lost, I was gonna own whatever we put on that field. The season didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but I was happy to represent my guys and step up in front of the camera when nobody else wanted to.”
He’ll be front and center again this week during a homecoming in Tampa, where his father spent his entire career with the Buccaneers.
When preseason camp opens Aug. 5, Graham plans to push himself and his teammates through another grueling August in Gainesville.
“Practicing in Gainesville in fall camp, there’s nothing harder,” he said. “But you just love the game that just pushes through practice.”
Along the way, Graham aims to become a complete linebacker by improving his pass rush, shedding blockers more consistently and sharpening his coverage skills.
“Being a three-down backer, I want to show that,” he said. “Being able to be able to play on third down is huge in the NFL. Teams pass a whole bunch.”
Peterson, who totaled 1,220 NFL tackles, believes Graham has the talent and mentality to become one of Florida’s best linebackers and follow him to the NFL.
The Gators haven’t produced a 100-tackle linebacker since David Reese in 2017 or a first-round linebacker since Jarrad Davis entered the NFL that same year.
With a big season, Graham could end both droughts.
Years ago, Earnest Graham tried to keep his son off the football field. Now the game could carry Myles to the same destination, from starring at Florida to a career in the NFL.
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected].