Underneath the heat and humidity of Florida’s first fall camp practice, there was a familiar face fixated in close proximity to the team’s inside linebacker unit.

It was that of Brandon Spikes, arguably one of the greatest linebackers in Florida program history, paying close attention as position coach Jay Bateman instructed the unit, though the former UF standout is sporting a shaved head these days after shaving his trademark long dreadlocks.

Spikes’ time Gainesville on Monday at Florida’s practice wasn’t a temporary stay, however.

Ahead of Florida’s season opener against Utah on Aug. 31, and throughout the regular season, Spikes will be around the program daily after returning to the program as a student assistant, FloridaGators.com’s Scott Carter reported midway through Monday’s practice session, giving the Gators a second former player – Mike Peterson starred within Florida’s defense from 1995 until the conclusion of the 1998 season – to oversee the development of a unit within the team’s defense.

Upon learning Spikes would be returning to Florida to complete his degree in anthropology, Vernell Brown, who recently served as UF’s Senior Director of Player Development before leaving to work with former UF quarterback Anthony Richardson as the rookie looked to navigate the beginning of his professional career, reached out to the former UF standout linebacker to gauge his interest in working with the program.

According to head coach Billy Napier, Spikes jumped at the opportunity to aid the program where he finished his four-year career as a First-Team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches.

“Brandon came into town he’s coming back to get his degree and he wanted to have a role, he wanted to contribute to this place,” Napier said. “He really cares about the University of Florida and what this place did for him. Not only as a football player, but as a man, as a student, that helped get is path in life, and he’s had legitimate success at the professional level.

“Immediately he brings credibility, pedigree, production.”

While Peterson, who last played at UF nearly 25 years prior to joining the coaching staff, had to educate the team’s 18-to-22 year-old players on his past success at Florida, the recency of Spikes’ success in Gainesville means the team’s current players are a bit more familiar with his status as a Hall of Famer within the Gators’ athletic program.

And it helps he’s been around the program in recent years, too.

Ahead of the 2021 season in Gainesville, former linebackers coach Christian Robinson invited Spikes to visit practice, where the former UF linebacker received his first look at Florida’s indoor practice facility.

“I brought him over to the indoor and he’s like ‘What is this?’, you know he’s looking around, and then he sees the new facility getting built and he’s like ‘Where am I?’, you know, and that’s the beauty of a guy that, he spends years playing in the NFL, it’s hard for him to come back here in the offseason,” Robinson said in 2021. “You’re spending time with your family, you’re trying to take care of your body.”

Now, Spikes is back in Gainesville – with another new facility to familiarize himself with, the $86-million Heavener Football Training Center – and Florida’s players have already taken notice.

Redshirt sophomore Justus Boone is presumably one of many within the program who either have early memories of Spikes’ time on the field or would soon become knowledgeable of Spikes’ contributions at Florida as their education of the game expanded.

Boone remembers the intensity and sheer tenacity with which Spikes played the game, and it’s an energy he’s optimistic will be infectious within the UF program now that Spikes will spend an extended period back in Gainesville.

“Awesome, awesome to be around. I watched Brandon Spikes in the past, when he played at Florida. He was just a great, vicious player at Florida,” Boone said. “One of the plays I remember – I can’t remember exactly what team it was – but he hit a guy and was like running him into the ground. Ever since then I thought, ‘I just want that energy around me’.”

While Spikes has shed blood and tears on Florida’s practice field, he finds himself in a different role now, and, understandably, there may be an adjustment period for his new role in Gainesville.

Considering the swiftness with which Spikes’ newfound involvement with the program came together, he may need additional time to further acquaint himself with the personnel, the coaching staff and, potentially, the system, before he’s able to contribute as a coach.

His role may continue to expand moving forward, though Spikes hasn’t wasted time divulging his knowledge of the game to those within the building.

As fall camp progresses, Spikes’ return to Gainesville for the fall semester should only continue to aid the program where he blossomed into a star in the Southeastern Conference.

Brandon is very intelligent, he’s been around a lot of football, a lot of players, a lot of coaches, a lot of teams, and he cares about this place, and I think he’s really brought something. There’s a presence there,” Napier said. “I told him, I said, ‘look, be vocal.’ He’s done a good job of mentoring players. He’s already connected with a number of guys. I think Spikes is going to make our team better. It’s always good to get a guy who’s doing the right thing, coming back to get his degree, that has experience, and that can influence our young people in a positive way.”