He's a Plant City kid, through and through. He knows about the time-honored Strawberry Festival tradition, the slab of ribs at Johnson Barbecue and maybe even that T-Rex peering at Interstate 4 from the grounds of the kitschy-but-classic Dinosaur World.
He's USF sophomore linebacker DJ Gordon.
And, after a star-crossed few seasons with the Big Ten Conference's Minnesota Golden Gophers, he's back home.
"When I first got to Minnesota, it was like a culture shock,'' Gordon said.
"When it first got cold and we started looking at below-zero, that was a real culture shock. I loved the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. There's nothing wrong with it at all.
"I had lived in Florida my whole life and wanted to see something different. I just wasn't fitting in with Minnesota's football program. And it just wasn't home.''
Gordon (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) hit the transfer portal.
The next day, USF coach Jeff Scott flew to Minneapolis. They shared wings at a place called Ray Jay's. Maybe that was an omen.
After interest from Florida State and Miami, among others, Gordon committed to the Bulls and returned to his native community, where he had a knockout all-state senior season for the Raiders, registering 126 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, eight sacks and five interceptions (three returned for touchdowns).
Through two games at USF, Gordon has 12 tackles, ranking second on the team as the Bulls (1-1) prepare for Saturday night's game at the No. 18-ranked Florida Gators. Many of those tackles reverberated through Raymond James Stadium, including his stop on a Howard University ball-carrier when he slipped through the back door, ran him down, then laid him out.
Gordon and Antonio Grier, USF's two-time leading tackler, staged a friendly competition throughout fall training camp. Grier has played sparingly due to injury, but Gordon acknowledged they need each other and make each other stronger. There are times when Gordon and Grier will be on the field together.
"DJ is a thumper,'' said USF co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Ernie Sims, who was a thumper himself at FSU. "He's a playmaker now. He has the explosion, quickness and power you look for. We have to keep identifying ways to put him in position to make those impact plays.
"He has brought us a linebacker mentality with his demeanor, his voice, the way he carries himself. He is a linebacker, no doubt.''
More specifically, a middle linebacker with the size/speed/take-no-prisoners mentality of Ray Lewis, one of his idols. Gordon once won the best linebacker award at the Ray Lewis Football Camp. Lewis, a graduate of Lakeland Kathleen High School, found a kindred spirit in the kid who grew up just down the road in Plant City.
"I appreciate him,'' Gordon said. "My personality is the same kind of aggressive. That's just me. I like to be the enforcer, the intimidator, the leader.''
Gordon comes across as a yes-sir, no-sir, all-business type, but off the field, there's a fun-loving adventurous side.
His family owns land just outside of Plant City, in a burg called Bealsville, where Gordon rides his horses, a couple of quarter-horses and a Mustang Appaloosa. He loves deep-sea fishing and hunting, a hobby he continued in Minnesota, where teammates took him to the snowy wilds and he bagged a 12-point buck.
"This is definitely a way I can relate to DJ because he loves the outdoors, nature, doing things out in the open spaces, just like me,'' Sims said.
Gordon got the attention of some teammates during camp when he talked about how much he loved eating raccoon, squirrel and possum.
"I've got to say, DJ is a lot different than me,'' said Bulls' defensive tackle Nick Bags, who grew up in the New York City area. "He says he wants to take us hunting and open our eyes to some new kinds of food. Yeah, I don't know about that. But I love him as a player.''
Officially, he's James Edward Gordon IV and he usually introduces himself as "James.'' His father, for reasons unknown to the son, was nicknamed "Dank.'' So, the son became Dank Junior (or DJ).
"Everybody in Plant City knows the Gordon family, I think,'' Gordon said. "We've been around for a while. We're country people. That's definitely me. That's my inner heart, my inner self, growing things, being around cows, horses, all kinds of nature.''
One of Gordon's favorite activities seems appropriate.
He likes to hunt gators.
"I like to eat gator, too,'' Gordon said. "They're delicious.''
