Can a position change ignite career of Ja'Markis Weston?

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•03/08/23•

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — From the outside, it doesn’t look great for a redshirt junior to move positions. Especially when it’s to the other side of the ball. For redshirt junior Ja’Markis Weston, it could mean finally making an impact for the Florida Gators this fall.

Weston arrived in Gainesville in 2019. As a freshman, he played in three games for Dan Mullen while taking a redshirt. Weston found the field on special teams on punt and kick coverage. He registered his first tackle (vs. Arkansas on November 14) before his first reception. A sign of things to come?

As a redshirt sophomore in 2021, Weston caught his first touchdown pass against Samford. He had a catch against Georgia and a career-high three catches for 44 yards in the season opener versus Florida Atlantic (Sept. 4) with a career-long with 36-yard catch.

He had potential, but with Florida bringing in two talented freshmen receivers and Weston struggling to get on the field on offense a change was in order. The safety room was calling.

“It’s a position that’s probably a little thin, truth be known and Ja’Markis is a guy that’s played really well for us on special teams. He’s done a good job on the punt team and the cover team. And we do a number of drills where we ask those four core offensive players to take part in tackling circuits. I think the defensive staff felt like observing him in those settings and thought that he had the skillset,” Billy Napier said after the first scrimmage. “He was a really good defensive player in high school so there’s a skillset there it’s just going to be a matter of learning the system, learning the communication, fundamentals but I know Ja’Markis is excited about it and I know our coaching staff is looking forward to working with him.”

Gators helping Weston acclimate

Weston was a two-way player at Clewiston High School. It’s been a while and the defensive playbook is much bigger with more responsibility for the safeties. This is, however, Weston’s last chance to make an impact at Florida.

Junior cornerback Jason Marshall is stepping into a leadership role. Part of that means taking a former offensive player under your wing and doing what you can to get them ready.

“Just being with him, communicating with him, make sure he learns the plays and stuff like that,” Marshall said of Weston. “It’s a great addition to have him back there than going against him.” 

Weston’s 82 looks strange lined up in the secondary. He’s a talented player with a ton of athleticism. He will need to be a quick study if he wants to make an impact this fall.

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