Bryce Thornton’s Georgia Roots Fuel Florida Rivalry Fire
Bryce Thornton’s roots run deep at the University of Georgia.
He grew up in College Park, Georgia, just an hour and a half drive from Athens. Both his parents are former Bulldog athletes. His father, Bruce Thornton, played cornerback at Georgia from 2000-2003, and his mother, Tiaunna Briggins, played basketball there. Bryce was destined to be a Bulldog.
Instead, the Florida Gators’ standout defensive back took his talents across the border and joined their biggest rivals.
“Florida was home for me,” Thornton said in an interview with WRUF’s Kevin Winter, which will air in full during Learfield’s pregame coverage on the Gator Sports Network beginning at 12:30.
He commended former Gators coach Billy Napier’s recruiting process and immediately knew that’s where he wanted to continue his football pursuits. Although his parents might have preferred him to follow in the Georgia legacy, Thornton said they were supportive.
“They were just happy I chose the school that was for me,” Thornton said.
He’s now joined the storied Florida-Georgia rivalry, which renews Saturday in Jacksonville, and looks to stamp his name in history for the Gators against his hometown team. Thornton said it’s a matchup he grew up watching, especially with his dad participating in the rivalry during his time at Georgia. His goal is simple: help Florida secure a win for the first time since 2020. But it means more to him than most.
“We’re just making our own story,” Thornton said about how the team can add to the border battle’s history.
The major story surrounding this year’s edition of the game is interim coach Billy Gonzales taking the reins after Napier’s firing. Although Napier had a big role in recruiting the junior defensive back, Thornton is still willing to give his all for the Orange and Blue.
He has gone through three defensive coordinators and two position coaches at Florida, so he understands the cutthroat nature in the business of football. Thornton said he’s been talking to the younger guys on the team to make sure they keep their heads in the game and block out all the noise.
“You came here for the program and the patch,” he told his teammates. “Over the next five games just play your hardest.”
“Play for the patch” is a sentiment Gonzales made clear in his first press conference as interim coach. Veterans like Thornton have carried it to the rest of the team. That culture will be a major factor if the Gators are going to upset the Bulldogs.
“Everybody has one goal,” Thornton said.
He stressed the importance of a unified team and thinks Gonzales has done a good job of doing that in the circumstances.
A victory won’t come easy. Although Thornton and the Florida secondary have played well this season, they’re up against a No. 5 Georgia team that has shown its offense is the team’s greatest weapon, thanks in part to quarterback Gunner Stockton. In his first season as the full-time starter, Stockton has the highest quarterback rating in the SEC (90.8) and has 10 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns this season. He’s a player Thornton knows well.
“I’ve known Gunner since high school, so I’ve seen a lot from him,” he said.
Thornton, who attended Milton High School, noted that he and Stockton, who attended Rabun County High School, played against each other in 7-on-7 camps in Georgia.
Thornton, who has 31 total tackles and two fumble recoveries this season, serves as one of the only constants in the Florida secondary with all the injuries the unit has endured. His ability to track the ball deep and help in the run game along the line of scrimmage have been valuable to the Gators.
Now, as a leader of the team, he has a chance to get a win over his parents’ alma mater and etch his name in the program’s history books.
“This is the week we’re going to have to show everyone we really want this,” Thornton said.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football, SEC
