{"id":2109,"date":"2026-05-29T18:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2109"},"modified":"2026-05-29T18:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:37:17","slug":"ex-gators-star-brandon-spikes-no-longer-with-football-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2109","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Gators star Brandon Spikes no longer with football program"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>GAINESVILLE \u2014 Former Florida star linebacker Brandon Spikes is no longer with the Gators as the University Athletic Association restructures the Gator Made program.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2107\">Universal Kids Resort near Dallas sets July opening date<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The UAA did away with his position working with a program geared toward preparing players for life after football.<\/p>\n<p>Gator Made has taken players on trips to expose them to a world beyond the gridiron and Gainesville. They\u2019ve visited Wall Street and the Coca-Cola offices in Atlanta, among others. Trips to Japan, South Africa and Spain have allowed players to travel abroad, many for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike all former players, he will always be welcome and part of the Gator football family,\u201d a source close to situation told the Orlando Sentinel.<\/p>\n<p>Spikes, an All-American linebacker for the 2008 national champions, joined Gator Made after the school ousted former coach Billy Napier and hired Jon Sumrall from Tulane.<\/p>\n<p>Spikes returned to UF in 2023 to complete his degree. He joined the staff as a student assistant coach under Napier, who later promoted him to the position of assistant director of player development.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2105\">Talking Central Florida podcast: State budget, property taxes, surrogacy and Winter Park historic preservation<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The 38-year-old former lienbacker returned to prominence in 2023 during \u201cSwamp Kings\u2019 on Netflix. The six-part series documented the program\u2019s rise under Urban Meyer, while capturing the dedication and personalities of players, including the loquacious Spikes.<\/p>\n<p>A native of Shelby, North Carolina, Spikes was a key member of Meyer\u2019s 2006 recruiting class, featuring Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Spikes record 307 total tackles, including 31.5 for loss, the most famous being his vicious hit of Georgia star tailback Knowshon Moreno on the first play of the Gators\u2019 49-10 rout of the rival Bulldogs in 2008.<\/p>\n<p>He also was a record-setting playmaker. He recovered four fumbles and had six interceptions, returning four for touchdowns in 2008-09 \u2014 more than any other player in the nation and a Florida school record for pick-sixes in a career.<\/p>\n<p>Spikes spent six seaons in the NFL, playing 78 games, with 49 starts. Four of those seasons (2010-13) were with the New England Patriots, followed by two with the Buffalo Bills.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2103\">Maxwell: A gator-shooting \u2018Looksmaxxer.\u2019 A disturbing new breed of Florida-man.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes is no longer with the Gators as the school restructures the Gator Made program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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