TALLAHASSEE – The Jacksonville Jaguars continued the 2013 caravan schedule with a visit to the state capital Tuesday night, greeting hundreds of fans in the atrium at Governor's Square Mall.
Former Jaguars left tackle Tony Boselli, the first member of the Pride of the Jaguars, joined three former Florida State Seminoles: linebacker Geno Hayes, cornerback Mike Harris and rookie fullback Lonnie Pryor.
But, in an appearance only four miles from Doak Campbell Stadium, a Michigan Wolverine stole the show.
Former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, the Jaguars fifth round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, made his first appearance of the caravan schedule, and both Jaguars and Wolverine supporters showed their excitement.
Bold City Brigade member J.D. Groover drove to Tallahassee from Valdosta, Ga. for the event Tuesday evening. He attended the team's caravan stop in Valdosta four days earlier, but said that he made the hour-and-a-half drive on Tuesday mainly to see Robinson.
"I think Denard is going to be a spark plug for us," Groover said. "He was a quarterback and he sucked it up to play another position. That's the kind of guy you want on your team. I really like that."
Robinson was a dual-threat quarterback at Michigan until an elbow injury forced a position change to running back during his senior season. The Deerfield Beach, Fla. native holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (4,495) and is fourth in Michigan career passing yardage (6,250).
Drafted as a running back, Robinson is considered an "offensive weapon" by the team.
Tallahassee resident and Michigan fan Chuck Robinson (no relation) wore a throwback blue No. 16 Michigan jersey on Tuesday evening and said that Denard Robinson's impact reminded him of years gone by.
"You have to go back to Desmond Howard to know that kind of potential," Chuck Robinson said. "All the way through his senior year, even when he was hurt, it was great to see him play as hard as he could.
"I've never seen so much spirit from one single guy to be able to carry a team like that."
Boselli, Robinson, Hayes, Harris, Pryor and members of the ROAR of the Jaguars cheerleaders addressed the crowd, held a giveaway of game tickets and autographed items for a full two hours.
Sixth-year NFL linebacker Geno Hayes joined the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in March, and the former Seminole told the crowd at Governor's Square Mall that the opportunity with the team was something he could not pass up.
"Jacksonville was a great opportunity to start something new; a fresh, brand new start with a fresh coaching staff," Hayes said. "It's a great opportunity to come back, and being right down the road two hours away from family is great."
Hayes attended Madison County High School before moving on to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University. He was a three-year letterman for the Seminoles and earned All-ACC second team honors as a junior.
Following the loss of fullback Greg Jones to the Houston Texans in free agency, the Jaguars signed fullback Lonnie Pryor as an undrafted rookie free agent following the NFL Draft. Pryor was the Orange Bowl MVP in Florida State's 31-10 win over Northern Illinois in January.
"It feels really good to be right down the road from Tallahassee," Pryor said.
Joe Kaperak, a Jaguars season ticket holder in section 221, has been hoping for a team visit to Tallahassee for a while, pressing his ticket representative during each interaction.
"I used to work in the city of Jacksonville, and I came here (Tallahassee) in 1990 right before the team was born," Kaperak said.
"It was great to finally see these guys come out here."
The Jacksonville Jaguars wrap up the 2013 caravan schedule Saturday, June 21 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at Glynn Place Mall. For more information, visit www.jaguars.com/caravan.
