GAINESVILLE — When Gators defensive lineman Michai Boireau practices in the Heavener Center, the sounds echo throughout the facility. The sophomore hits the bag, and the machine rattles, catching the eye of interim coach Billy Gonzales as he walks by.
His explosiveness captivates onlookers.
“He’s quick off the line of scrimmage, but when he hits, you hear defensive coaches talk,” Gonzales said. “He’s hitting that bag, and you can hear the machine recoil.”
Boireau has shown improvements in his sophomore season, headlined by the kiss-worthy interception during the Mississippi State game that ensured a Gators win. While his on-field performance stands out, the Georgia-born lineman’s maturity might be his biggest area of growth.
Last May, reports say Boireau led police on a high-speed chase in Monroe County, Georgia, topping speeds of 150 mph and hitting another car. When police eventually caught up to the then-18-year-old, they found marijuana in his car, according to police reports. He spent multiple nights in jail before returning home to Gainesville.
“I was scared,” Boireau told WRUF’s Kevin Winter on the Gator Sports Network from Learfield. “I was thinking of my mom; I was thinking about my career. I was thinking about the future, honestly.”
The consequences of his actions last May could’ve followed him to Gainesville. Boireau’s place on the team was far from secure. Then-coach Billy Napier didn’t cut him, and Boireau put in work to improve himself on and off the field. He says he then put in extra workouts and kept a strict diet. In total, he has cut 50 pounds since he started at UF.
Boireau’s improved maturity is evident to the people who knew him in Georgia. Creekside coach Maurice Dixon, who likened the lineman to a “big dancing bear,” said Boireau visited the team during the Gators’ bye week and tries to maintain a good relationship with people back home.
“At first, [he had] to grow up a little bit,” Dixon said. “I’ve seen him do a good job tremendously growing up over the last year and a half, making great decisions, being around the right people.”
According to Dixon, Boireau’s personality — a gentle giant off the field, a big grizzly bear on it — was one Florida sought out. Boireau has recorded 12 tackles, two sacks and an interception. He’s brought down household-name quarterbacks like Gunner Stockton and Arch Manning.
“Expediential growth. Him being an all-around player, he’s been able to do everything from stopping to run and pass rushing, so I can’t ask anything more from him,” Gators redshirt senior edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. said.
Still, little compares to the lineman’s last-second interception that preserved the Gators’ win. Boireau admitted he wanted to bring the ball into the end zone, but found himself sliding. Defensive plays like Boireau’s have kept the Gators competitive in the majority of their games, as the offense oscillates between showing promise and looking stale.
Florida is tied for fifth (with LSU, Georgia and Alabama) in the conference for touchdowns allowed. In all of the Gators’ games, only Texas A&M has scored more than 30 points, and the team ranked No. 30 in the nation in red-zone defense.
“Every time we go out on that field, we know what we got to do,” Boireau said. “No matter if we’re losing, we’re winning, if it’s 30 seconds on the clock or it’s 15 minutes on the clock, we know what we got to do when we’re on that field.”
The Gators’ defense will be crucial in Florida game against Kentucky on Saturday. Florida’s offense will be spread thin after the injury report listed Trey Wilson out, alongside Dallas Wilson, who suffered a season-ending foot injury against Georgia. Vernell Brown III and redshirt sophomore Aidan Mizel were listed as questionable as well.
“It ain’t over till the clock hits triple zero,” Boireau said. “We just know when we’re on that field, it’s all about execution. We got to get takeaways. You got to poke the ball out, intercept the ball, whatever we got to do.”
