Spartans’ Florence, McCloud set to move mountains
By Christian Knox
MDJ Sports Writer
Lineman cliches fit Campbell’s offensive
KICKOFF 2021 35
tackles like a glove.
Trevion Florence and Kevron McCloud
are the first guys off the bus, the nastiest
in the trenches and some of the
finest pancake makers in Cobb County.
On fall Friday nights, the 6-foot-4,
350-pound Florence and 6-4, 280-pound
McCloud move the line of scrimmage
as key cogs in coach Howie DeCristofaro’s
run-heavy system.
“Having those two guys out there to
protect your quarterback in the passing
game and to be able to get outside
in the running game is huge,” DeCristofaro
said. “When you’re that big you
get your body on people, it’s hard to
get it off.”
Florence and McCloud will bookend
a hefty Campbell line in 2021. Center
Jordan Dobson is Campbell’s lightest
starting lineman at 240 pounds, while
guards Avery Obert and James Alexander
both weigh in around 275 pounds.
DeCristofaro said he prioritizes size
along his offensive line because Campbell
competes against big, physical defensive
linemen in Class AAAAAAA.
“I think we’re at least as big as
most of the defensive linemen we
play, which is huge,” DeCristofaro
said. “One of our defensive tackles is
285 (pounds) and the other is 260,
so at practice every day once we get
the pads on we’re going against guys
who are big, so they’re going to be
used to blocking big guys.”
DeCristofaro said Florence and Mc-
Cloud are both big and strong enough
to offer positional versatility along the
offensive line at the next level, and college
coaches are taking notice. McCloud
has been recruited by Massachusetts,
Georgia Southern, East Carolina and
Eastern Kentucky to play tackle. Florence,
who may kick inside to guard in
college, has seven offers so far. He said
he was speaking with Arkansas State
daily by late June.
The duo is much more than just massive
walls between Campbell’s signal
caller and prowling defenders; they
are the human forklifts that power a
smashmouth offense. Jomouri Phillips
will be back at tailback in 2021 to
take advantage of the big gaps his line
generates.
“We’ve gotten bigger and stronger,
and we have a good running back, so
we’ll be able to move the ball a lot,”
Florence said. “Jomouri can run, he
can move. He’s good.”
DeCristofaro has his team hitting
the weight room hard this offseason
in preparation for another season running
his physical ground game, Florence
said. McCloud and Florence’s
progress in the weight room shows in
their numbers, as McCloud improved
his deadlift to 425-pounds, while Florence
hit 600-pounds at the squat rack.
“They both can clean well over 300
pounds, they both can squat well over
500 pounds bellow parallel and they
both bench well over 300 pounds.
Trevion benches 415 pounds for three
reps, so when you get that (350-pound)
body on you and it’s athletic enough
to get off the ball at the snap, it puts
people in a difficult situation,” De-
Cristofaro said.