Alli's guidance counselor discovered that Alli already had enough credits to graduate. Alli told Florida coaches, and they found a spare scholarship for him for 2009.
Alli enrolled at UF too late to get a roommate , he's living in a single dorm , and he received his playbook Wednesday night, mere hours before the Gators opened their 2009 season.
But there he was Thursday afternoon, practicing with the defending national champions just 1 year after playing his first high school snap.
"It's crazy, but it's kind of a dream come true," said Alli, who said he was a Gator fan growing up. Florida's coaches are enthused about Alli's rare combination of size 6'6"and speed, 4.38 in the 40 but will almost certainly red-shirt him this season.
"It's not fair to just throw this at him," Meyer said. "He's walking around like he's on Mars."
Even if Alli doesn't play a down this season, he will have already contributed his part by freeing up another scholarship for 2010 to pick up an additional receiver like Pahokee's Chris Dunkley or Miramar's Ivan McCartney. The SEC has capped its scholarships at 28 per year, and without Alli, the Gators already have 16 oral commitments for 2010.
"First it brings an extra body, and second he's learning," receivers coach Billy Gonzales said. "And at that point we didn't know if (Riley) Cooper was coming back, so it was really important to add another number." The SEC Rocks!
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