Tailback Giles' goals well grounded

Giles

Jarvis Giles on his running style

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s not hard to envision tailback Jarvis Giles as an NFL player one day.

The Tennessee commitment has the size (6-foot and 185 pounds), speed (4.37 in the 40-yard dash) and high school production (1,501 yards and 20 touchdowns last season) to make him one of the top prospects in the nation.

But Giles doesn’t make such assumptions about a professional career. When he looks into the future, he sees surgical scrubs where others see shoulder pads.

“Truthfully, I see myself working in a hospital over playing in the NFL,” said Giles, who aspires to be a surgical technician.

Perhaps such dreams come from a childhood visit to the hospital when Giles found a stick lodged in his knee while competing in some gymnastics competition with his cousin.

Perhaps his solid upbringing and everyman attitude are reasons he’s a top-100 player.

“I’m not a cocky-type person,” the star player from talent-rich Gaither High School in Tampa said. “Later down the line, that will come back on you. I try to be down to earth.

“I love to take care of people.”

Stan the Man

The first person in Knoxville who Giles took care of was Stan Drayton, UT’s first-year running backs coach and lead recruiter in Florida, by committing to UT in June.

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the Tampa football community speak disparagingly of Drayton, a former Florida assistant who still garners the same respect wearing orange and white as he did when he wore orange and blue.

“Stan is just an outstanding individual,” Gaither head coach Mark Kantor said. “He was very up front, very honest and very open. That’s what drew Jarvis there.”

Giles admittedly didn’t consider playing for Drayton when he was coaching at Florida. Then, a Florida fallout changed the recruiting playing field.

“I heard they did him pretty nasty,” Giles said of Drayton’s departure from Florida.

Whatever the circumstances of Drayton’s departure, Giles was suddenly interested in what Drayton had to say.

“He came back with the orange on and I said ‘We can talk business.’” Giles said.

The familiarity of knowing prospects, like Giles, in Florida certainly helps Drayton, but he believes there’s more. For Drayton and the many coaches he knows in Florida, professional is now personal.

“It was good that they were able to see me — not for the colors that I was wearing — but for the genuine concern I have for athletes,” Drayton said. “They know that’s what I’m all about.”

Grounded Game

Have a conversation with Giles and you’ll walk away wondering how he ever was dubbed “Primetime”.

The moniker must have stuck thanks to his play on Friday nights, since his personality is more unassuming than flashy.

To wit:

Giles said he came away from a 60 Minutes profile of his idol, San Diego Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson, reflecting on the star running back’s generosity.

The way sick children lit up from a Tomlinson visit was the lasting memory — not his stats, his wealth or his ability.

“I want to be next to that kid right there (like Tomlinson) making him feel happy,” Giles said.

Giles also lights up when his shoe collection, perhaps the one aspect of his personality that could be considered “Primetime.”

Giles works at a shoe store in Tampa, in part so he can get an employee discount on his footwear.

“I’m a shoe fanatic,” said Giles, who has 20 to 25 pairs of shoes in his daily rotation.

Giles, a Nike man, is even willing to change his allegiance when he arrives at UT, which has an exclusive contract with Adidas.

“If the shoe looks good,” Giles said with a smile, “I’ll wear it.”

Riding the Wave

As with any class, committed prospects become recruiters and elite athletes often draw others to the same school.

Giles is doing both. Within three days of Giles’ commitment, four other prospects went public with their decision to sign with UT. Within another week, two more were on board.

Not bad for a school that is known all too well for its strong finish rather than its fast start in recruiting. And while certain commitments have raised eyebrows, there are certainly a handful of elite athletes in the fold.

Quarterback Josh Nunes from Upland Calif., said his decision was made much easier by Giles’ announcement.

“It’s nice to have a complement to a passing game,” Nunes said. “You have a powerful run game with Jarvis now.”

Now, Giles is focusing on UT’s recruiting future.

He and Nunes each have called Memphis receiver Marlon Brown, the News Sentinel’s top prospect in Tennessee.

Giles also is in close contact with defensive tackle Demonte McAllister from Alonso High School in Tampa.

McAllister may be a longshot for UT after committing to Florida State on Saturday, but with offers from Southern Cal, Miami and Georgia among others, he’s a shot well worth taking.

McAllister said he’s still considering other schools. As for UT, McAllister said he likes how the Vols have sent so many players to the NFL. Then, there’s Giles’ influence.

“I live right down the street from him,” the 6-3, 265-pound McAllister said. “We talk all the time.”

Giles, as is usually the case, is all too happy to help the Vols try to sway McAllister.

“I want the best players on the football field,” Giles said, “so I want the best recruiting class.”