Bostic's head start

<p>To Jon Bostic, it was an easy choice.</p><p>The senior prom could wait. So could everything else in West Palm Beach, a four-hour drive south from Gainesville.</p><p>When Bostic decided to enroll early at Florida last January, it was strictly a football decision for the freshman linebacker.</p><p>“I really didn’t see it as too much of a sacrifice,” Bostic said. “Really I looked at it as just helping myself, kind of getting ready to move on, just getting to the next stage. I was actually looking forward to it.”</p><p>Here’s what Gator fans have to look forward to — the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Bostic charging down the field on kickoff coverage or possibly even spelling Butkus Award candidate Brandon Spikes at middle linebacker.</p><p>Bostic performed so well in last April’s spring game (four tackles, four assists) that he earned the respect of both coaches and teammates. In practices this fall, he’s picked up where he left off. With the indefinite suspension of Dustin Doe, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bostic works his way behind Spikes on the depth chart before the season opener Sept. 5 against Charleston Southern.</p><p>“Bostic is picking up the plays quicker than anybody that I’ve seen as a freshman,” Florida senior linebacker Ryan Stamper said. “He’s so big and physical and picks up the plays. That’s why you pretty much know he’s going to have a successful career at Florida.”</p><p>After the spring game, Bostic was able to make it back in time for his prom at Palm Beach Central.</p><p>“I was actually able to go back for everything my senior year,” Bostic said. “But being up here was probably most important for me. Just being around football and learning the game. Basically coming somewhere I wanted to go since my 10th grade year.</p><p>“I feel a little bit ahead. I still have a lot of stuff to learn. Just little things, going from footwork to new plays being put in every day.”</p><p>Part of Bostic’s cerebral background stems from his bloodlines. Bostic’s father, Jon Sr., played three seasons (from 1985-87) as a cornerback in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.</p><p>The younger Bostic began to follow in his dad’s footsteps when he signed up for pee-wee football as a five-year-old.</p><p>“His mom (Jacqueline) signed him up because she’s the football fan,” said Bostic Sr., a Mims native who played college football at Bethune-Cookman. “The only thing I told him was, ‘Once you start, you can’t quit.’ He was 55 pounds playing on an under-60 pound league.</p><p>“There were times when he was crying because he didn’t want to go to practice and we made sure he went to every practice. He played on the offensive line. And he really took to it and liked it and has had a passion for the game since.”</p><p>Bostic Sr. said he has tried to have his son watch games from a different perspective.</p><p>“I told him not to think something was a good play just because a commentator said it was a good play,” Bostic Sr. said. “I tried to get him to watch the whole field, watch the players.”</p><p>The younger Bostic said he always was aware of his dad’s guidance.</p><p>“It’s really weird, the way he does it,” Bostic said. “He really won’t say too much. But when he does, it rings home. So basically, just coming to college, he really didn’t tell me where he exactly wanted me to go. Some stuff, I had to figure out on my own. But basically he told me at the end of it, this (Florida) is where he wanted me to come.”</p><p>Florida coach Urban Meyer was aware of Bostic’s family background during the recruiting process. And Meyer knew from following Florida coach Billy Donovan’s men’s basketball program the maturity and success sons of professional athletes can bring to a program. Taurean Green (son of NBA forward Sidney Green), Al Horford (son of NBA center Tito Horford) and Joakim Noah (son of French Open tennis champion Yannick Noah) provided the foundation for UF’s back-to-back men’s basketball national title runs in 2006 and 2007.</p><p>“I think that enhances a guy’s value, a former athlete’s son,” Meyer said. “After meeting his father, his family, you knew the chance of him being a good player was really high after you knew the whole situation.”</p><p>Bostic’s dad said he supported his son’s decision to enroll early at UF because he showed he could get good grades at Palm Beach Central. And Bostic said he has no regrets about his decision to leave high school early. He said the amount of one-on-one time he had working with Spikes last spring was invaluable.</p><p>“I guess it just kind of made me more comfortable,” Bostic said. “When I first got here in the spring, I was thinking a lot more than reacting. Now I’m allowed to react more. I’m still thinking a lot out there, you know, but coming in the spring has helped me to relax more.”</p><p><i>Contact Kevin Brockway at 352-374-5054 or brockwk@gvillesun.com.</i></p>