100 Days of Florida Football: No. 22 Adam Lane

When you think of Florida’s stable of running backs, Kelvin Taylor or Matt Jones immediately pop into your mind. Lost in the mix of great talent, but certainly not forgotten, is Adam Lane. When you see Lane’s size and running style, Maurice Jones-Drew or Ray Rice come to mind. It remains to be seen whether he’ll see the same success as Rice or MJD, however.

During his time at Winter Haven High School, Lane was a three-year letterwinner. He had an explosive sophomore season as he rushed for over 1,000 yards on just 80 carries, good for a whopping 12.5 yards per carry. As he started to receive attention from colleges around the country, Lane had to deal with a bit of bad luck. In his final summer workout before his junior season, Lane broke his fibula after landing awkwardly. The break was so close to the ankle that doctors decided the recovery time would be longer than a simple fracture. He ended up missing his entire junior season with the injury. With the injury, schools backed off, but not Florida.

"“Florida made the extra effort.“Every athlete hates to have an injury, especially during the time of being recruited because that’s a crucial time in your life. So I was kind of nervous when I told all the schools. But Florida understood injuries happen and they were still behind me. And that meant a lot.” – Adam Lane to GatorSports.com"

Lane finished his career with the Blue Devils strong. He rushed for 1,624 yards and 12 touchdowns on 205 carries. Those numbers could have been even gaudier, but he sat out the second half in a lot of Winter Haven’s games. His performance earned him PolkPreps.com Large Schools Offensive Player of the Year honors.

At just 5-7, but 222 pounds, Lane is built like a bowling ball. He’s got surprising quickness for someone of his stature and incredible strength, much like Jones-Drew and Rice. Lane’s strength helps him run-through and bounce-off would be tacklers. One of the most impressive stats about Lane is his ability to lift over 400 pounds on the bench press, making him one of the strongest running backs out there.

Coming out of high school, Lane had his choice of schools to attend. He ended up signing with Florida after committing to UF in January of his junior year. Just like Florida’s offer, Lane never waivered despite increased interest after his rebound senior season. He chose Florida over Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. According to 247Sports composite ratings, Lane was rated as a three-star prospect, ranked as the 29th RB, 51st player in Florida, and 364th overall player of the 2013 recruiting cycle.

Lane arrived on campus with little fanfare after Taylor decided to sign with the Gators. He decided it was in his best interest to take a redshirt in his first year in Gainesville so more opportunities would come his way in the future. Even though he didn’t see game action, Lane did earn the Most Valuable Defensive Scout Team award. He got his opportunity to really showcase his talents all spring and in the Orange and Blue Debut. Lane led all rushers despite playing on both squads with 64 yards on 12 carries, showing his toughness and explosiveness along the way.

Now Lane will have a new opportunity to impress in a new offense. He should fit in offensive coordinator Kurt Roper‘s offense as a change of pace back capable of breaking off big runs. He definitely thinks he’ll have a big role on the offense. Lane on the talented group of RBs said, “We all have our different types of running styles. We fit perfectly, like a puzzle, in this offense, and I think it’s going to be great next year.”

The rest of the Gator Nation is hoping the exact same thing.

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