From Saturdays to Fridays: Former Gators Football Players Have Heavy Presence in H.S. Football

In the first of this two part series from GatorBait Magazine, Ainslee Lee catches up with former Florida Gators Football players who have stayed in town and in the game, molding the next generation of players.

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Brady Ackerman, UF c/o 1992 -- Belleview High School

The former Florida Gators running back has watched the game of football from the sideline as a player, broadcaster, high school assistant coach, college assistant coach and now as a high school head coach.

After serving as the running backs and wide receivers coach at Jackson State for two years, when two-time Super Bowl Champion Deion Sanders was hired to lead the Jackson State program, Ackerman wasn't retained. And instead of staying in the ranks of college football, Ackerman went south to Belleview, Florida, which is about 45 miles south of Gainesville, to take on his biggest test yet.

When hired as the head coach of the Belleview Rattlers, Ackerman was taking over a team that had won just one game across the previous three seasons.

Since Ackerman's arrival, the buzz surrounding the Rattlers has been positive. Ackerman makes his regular season debut at Belleview on Friday night.

John Brantley, UF c/o 1978 -- Trinity Catholic High School

John Brantley has been in and out of the high school football scene for many years.

Brantley initially coached at Trinity Catholic from 2008 to 2014 and helped the program rise to prominence as one of Central Florida's most successful programs. In his initial six-year tenure, Brantley led the Celtics to a state runner-up bid in 2008 and a state title in 2012 before stepping away in 2014.

Brantley's time away from the football field didn't last long. In 2016, Brantley returned to the sidelines -- this time, however, at Belleview High School. Brantley only led the Rattlers for one season before once again leaving coaching to focus on his professional career.

But when his old post at Trinity Catholic opened up in 2020, Brantley returned to lead the Celtics. In his first season back at Trinity Catholic, Brantley led the Celtics to a 7-4 season, which included three playoff wins.

This season, the Celtics' offense, which is called by Brantley, is led by senior quarterback Cole Gonzales -- who happens to be Florida's wide receivers coach, Billy Gonzales' son.

Ciatrick Fason, UF c/o 2004 -- Fletcher High School

Ciatrick Fason has always been a favorite for Fletcher High School.

Fason, whose time at Fletcher from 1998 to 2001 saw him become the school's all-time rushing leader with 7,479 career yards, took the helm of Fletcher's football program earlier this year. Up to 2021, Fason has been a longtime assistant at the school.

Fason is taking over a program that has become one of the Jacksonville-area's most consistent winners. The Fletcher Senators haven't had a losing season in 14 years. So the expectations are high for the Fletcher loyalist. But he isn't shying away from them.

"I'm not afraid of pressure," Fason told the Florida Times-Union in July. "I played in front of 100,000 people at The Swamp, at Neyland Stadium, all those places."

Fason will make his head coaching debut on Friday night.

Jacquez Green, UF c/o 1997 -- Manatee High School

Jacquez Green, or better yet, Quezie, is one of the more distinctive names when it comes to Gators of the 90s. And given the former Gator's notoriety, it's fitting that he takes reins at one of the most successful high school programs in the State of Florida.

Back in April, the Manatee Hurricanes, which have five state championships, named Green the interim head coach for the 2021 season. According to the school, Green would serve as head coach while a nation-wide coaching search was conducted.

Last season, with the help of Green, the Hurricanes sprinted out on a six-game win streak en route to an 8-2 season.

Cornelius Ingram, UF c/o 2007 -- Hawthorne High School

Former Florida Gators tight end Cornelius Ingram continues to give everything to the quaint town that gave everything to him.

Born and raised in Hawthorne, a town about 15 miles east of Gainesville, Ingram was arguably the most coveted recruit to ever come out of Hawthorne High School. But that could change if he continues on the path he's on.

When Ingram took the job in 2014, Hawthorne's football program was nearing rock bottom. The small, Class 1A school struggled to get kids to come out for the team. Now, things are vastly different.

The Ingram-led Hornets played for a state championship last season. Though they took the runner-up trophy home, the Hornets are expected to be contenders once again this year.

And though Ingram is still waiting to bring a football championship home with him, he brought a state championship trophy to the school's trophy case last season when Hawthorne's girl's basketball team, which Ingram also coaches, won the Class 1A state title in 2020.

*This is the first part of a two-part series. Come back next week to learn about the five remaining former Gators who coach in the area.