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SALT LAKE CITY — Micah Bernard is out for the season, and University of Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig surely do not want to run Ja'Quinden Jackson into the ground, so here comes Jaylon Glover to help.
The sophomore has taken on a larger role of late, most recently running for 47 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in a 31-7 win over Weber State. That represented an expansion of Glover's role following seven carries for 40 yards and a touchdown at Baylor, with almost all of it coming in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind 20-13 win.
As one considers what Glover has been to this point of his college career, not to mention how high the ceiling might be, there's an interesting, relevant anecdote from his childhood that has helped fuel his football life.
Glover was once an avid dancer.
From first through eighth grade, Glover attended Rochelle School of the Arts, a magnet less than a mile from the family home in Lakeland, Florida. At elementary-school age, students are made to try every elective to see what they like before picking a "major" as a sixth grader.
"I just knew all the girls were in dance, so I wanted to go in there," Glover said during an extensive in-season interview last November. "When I got in there, I started to like it. The stretches, the dance moves, I just enjoyed it. I finished it out through eighth grade; and to think back on it, I miss it, but it was a good experience and helped me evolve as an athlete."
Added Glover's father, Stanley, half-jokingly: "Of course, there was a girl in there he was sweet on, so that helped."
Jaylon was the only boy in dance, specifically ballet, as his mother, Wendy, notes, so there were times he was made fun of by other boys. That was a family topic of conversation in those days: how he felt about that, what to do about it, and did it really matter to him what others thought. If any of that did matter to Glover, it never mattered enough to deter him.
Another family topic of conversation during those years was what to do about dance as high school approached.
Glover may have found dance, but he still grew up playing youth football through the local Police Athletic League chapter for the Lakeland Hurricanes.
As eighth grade wound down, Glover had the opportunity to audition for entrance into Harrison School For the Arts, another magnet school in Lakeland. He didn't want to audition, but his parents insisted he at least go through the process. He did. The school loved him and made an offer, but he wanted to play football, too.
It was made clear by Harrison that dance would be the priority over football, but Glover could play at state power Lakeland High School, although he would begin his freshman year on the junior varsity.
Glover didn't need much time to make up his mind. By the time they got to the car after the audition, he knew what he wanted to do.
"I'm not a JV-caliber guy," Wendy recalled Jaylon saying. "If they put me on JV, I don't want to do it. I want to go to Lake Gibson and make a name for myself there."
Added Stanley, speaking of what Jaylon said: "I'm going to make a name for myself wherever I go. I want to go to my home school."
In the fall of 2018, Glover began his freshman season on the Lake Gibson varsity team. His four-year stint there included more than 6,000 rushing yards, 80 touchdowns and 32 100-yard games.
As a senior in 2021, Glover was named Mr. Football in the state of Florida after his 2,073 yards and 26 touchdowns helped Lake Gibson advance to the semifinals of Florida 71, the state's second-largest classification.
And to think, all of this is thanks in part to Glover wanting to meet some girls in dance class.
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Josh Newman
