Stone Forsythe cements his spot with UF Gators

Some games feel bigger than others, and for University of Florida tackle Stone Forsythe, the season-opener against Miami at Camping World Stadium was that kind of a game.

That night — Saturday, Aug. 24 — the Gators and Canes were the only college football game on TV, meaning that the eyes of every football fan were glued to the screen.

But for Forsythe, the game also provided an opportunity to play just 13 miles from his old stomping grounds at West Orange High School. It was a homecoming for the Winter Garden native, but that didn’t deter him from the goal of playing winning football.

“I don’t like to look at all the outside things and put unnecessary pressure on myself, so I was just kind of taking it how coach (John) Hevesy taught us how to do everything,” Forsythe said. “My parents were texting me, and I had a bunch of people at the game, but I just like to keep that aside and just do it by myself. But it was everything.”

The Gators secured a scrappy 24-20 win over Miami before dismantling UT-Martin 45-0 the following week. After a come-from-behind 29-21 win over Kentucky last weekend, the Gators found themselves at 3-0, but things still felt off. 

“As a whole offense, we weren’t really satisfied in the Miami win, because it was sloppy football,” Forsythe said. “Then, we weren’t satisfied against UT, because we knew we should have put more points up.”

Forsythe’s  drive for absolute perfection dates back to his playing days at West Orange High from 2012 to 2016 as a member of the Warriors football team. During that time, Forsythe grew into the physical beast he is now — standing at 6-foot-7, 329 pounds — and dominated in the trenches at the offensive tackle position. With his help, the Warriors saw unprecedented success — especially in 2015, when West Orange went 12-2 with an appearance in the Class 8A semifinals. 

His play on the offensive line — for which he earned Third Team All-State honors as a senior and an All-State Second Team selection as a junior — drew the attention of teams like Kentucky, Duke and Florida State. But Forsythe grew up a Gators fan, so when UF came calling, his mind was made up.

Forsythe decided to redshirt for his first year in Gainesville. During that time, he started getting a feel for what he was in for going from high school to SEC.

 “I expected that the game was going to be totally different, but throughout that developmental year, it helped me get used to the speed and everything,” Forsythe said.  “Even just in practice, you’re going against some of the top D-linemen every year. … That helped out a lot.”

After taking the year to get used to a new level of play, Forsythe finally got his first start for the Gators toward the end of the 2017 season in a game against the University of Alabama — Birmingham before taking on rival Florida State.

“I was kind of glad that I started the UAB game, because I would have probably been real nervous going into the FSU game without playing a snap in two-and-a-half years since my senior year in high school,” Forsythe said. “Just the speed of the game was totally different — even for a smaller school like UAB compared to SEC.”

Things got better for Forsythe — and the team in general — when in 2018 head coach Dan Mullen came from Mississippi State to take over. That season, Florida went 10-3, and Forsythe played in every game.

Now in his redshirt junior season, Forsythe has continued to be a fixture on the offensive line, serving alongside his teammates deep in the trenches. For Forsythe, those guys next to him are the reason he battles every day on the field.

“It’s for my brothers around me … because I know if I let them down, that takes a big toll on me,” Forsythe said. “All of those guys on the line are my friends — I talk with them every day. Throughout the summer, we did a lot of stuff on our own… it’s just creating bonds and spending time together.”