@Swamp Donkey this is for you.
http://floridagators.com/news/2001/9/12/3242.aspx
Everything had come so easy to Keiwan Ratliff in high school.
He starred on both sides of the ball, earning All-American recognition as both a receiver and cornerback. Even a handful of division one schools wanted him to play ball for them. Basketball, that is.
The good times kept rolling for Ratliff until late in the summer of 1999, when he was faced with something he had never dealt with before: Adversity.
Nearing the end of two-a-day practices at Florida and looking to see playing time at the wide receiver position as a true freshman, Ratliff was notified that he would not be initially eligible for the upcoming season.
Heading back home to Columbus, Ohio, meant Ratliff wouldn’t have a chance to see the results of all the sweat he shared with his teammates during the grueling summer workouts. Instead of being out on the field with them, he’d have to settle for watching the games from a distance.
Overwhelmed initially, Ratliff feared that this setback spelled the end of his football career. After consulting with family and coaches at Florida, Ratliff decided that the first real challenge that he faced in his life wouldn’t get the best of him.
“It was the first time since I was four that I couldn’t put on a uniform and go out and play,” Ratliff said. “But I had to be strong and keep my head up.”
For someone who had never faced hardship in his life, the strength Ratliff displayed was admirable. Rather than sulking in his misfortune, Ratliff passed his days by tending to his academic responsibilities and working out. In addition, Ratliff made sure to spend a lot of time on the football field at Whitehall-Yearling High School.
Working primarily with some of the same defensive backs and receivers that were his teammates and classmates only a year earlier, Ratliff shared with them some of the things that made him so successful on the field. He demonstrated how to get open and how to stay on receivers, and he even passed on some of the knowledge that he had learned at his brief stay at Florida, such as how to read a receiver’s hips.
But much more important than these technical skills, Ratliff gave them the confidence they had been in search of. He forced the group, composed primarily of seniors who had not previously been relied on to contribute, to believe that they could be as good, if not better, than he was.
“I was trying to be a big brother instead of a coach, and I wanted to be someone who they could come and talk to,” Ratliff said. “A lot of them didn’t have confidence and I was trying to get them to play to the best of their ability day in and day out.”
Whitehall-Yearling coach Scott Gordon, who coached Ratliff, said that he was very fortunate to have Ratliff spend time with his team.
“He’s been a role model for so many young kids in the community, and he’s very much respected,” Gordon said. “He offered a lot of advice, and just having his presence there showed his character.”
In the summer of 2000, it was time for Ratliff to part ways with Gordon and Ohio to finally begin his career at Florida.
After spending the previous year convincing himself that he was ready to be a division one receiver and envisioning himself catching corner routes in the end zone at The Swamp, Ratliff couldn’t wait to be a part of Coach Steve Spurrier’s offense.
A logjam of talented athletes at the receiver position, however, forced Ratliff to move to the other side of the ball and become a member of Defensive Coordinator Jon Hoke’s defense. Although disappointed with the change at first, Ratliff gradually became accustomed to playing cornerback at the collegiate level and finished the year appearing in all 12 games, including one start.
His improvement continued through this past spring, where Ratliff was named the team’s most improved defensive back. Hoke said that the Social and Behavior Sciences major has impressed him with his big-play ability.
“Keiwan is a talented player,” Hoke said. “He just need to focus on getting better every week and he’s got an opportunity to be a fine player for us.”
Ratliff said he has become more comfortable at the defensive back position, and that he is gaining confidence in situations where he is isolated with the receiver. Junior safety Guss Scott believes his teammate has come a long way from the tentative freshman Ratliff described himself as.
“Your first year doing anything at this level is kind of hard looking at things,” Scott said. “[Ratliff] caught on pretty quick and is a play maker.”
Ratliff’s play making skills haven’t been lost in his switch to cornerback, and he is able to showcase his speed as one of Florida’s top return men on both kick-offs and punts. With senior cornerback Robert Cromartie lost for the season, Ratliff figures to be relied heavily upon in the secondary this year.
Although he will miss played alongside his fallen teammate, Ratliff said he would make the most of his opportunity.
“I’m looking at it as my chance to step up and help out my team in any way that I can,” Ratliff said. “By any means necessary, I’ll do the best I can to help out my teammates.”
Well I guess that kind of proves my point seeing as I don't remember the game! Tanned coeds over blowout football games any day of the week! 
