Growing up in the small Long Island town of Commack, NY, Joey Slackman certainly had a lot going for him. Yet he admits that he never thought he had a prayer of playing college football for the Florida Gators.
But to hear Slackman tell it, maybe it’s because of these doubts that his road to the premier stage of college football was ever possible. Because those doubts may have been what encouraged him to do the things that ultimately paved that path for him.
As a child, Slackman was a competitive wrestler with good parents who taught him the importance of schoolwork from an early age. Throughout his youth, Slackman worked hard on his craft as a wrestler. And thanks to his parents drilling the importance of schoolwork into him, he worked even harder at maintaining his grades.
That’s certainly a respectable profile for a young man– good parents, good grades, good work ethic– but it doesn’t exactly match the profile of your average SEC defensive lineman.
Yet here he is, a grad transfer at Florida, set to take on a large role on Florida’s defensive line. As July 2024 is about to melt away into August, Slackman is currently best described as an all-around player who can stop the run and rush the passer with congruent levels of success, providing anything that his team needs regardless of down or distance. And as Slackman himself proudly points out, he’s made the majority his plays at momentum changing points of games– “The pressurized moments are ones I jump into rather than run away from,” he told me– and is only a few short weeks away from living the dream he never dared to have of playing in the Swamp.
So, how did Joey Slackman get here?
Well, it starts with those same values and skills he learned as a little boy. He just turned out to harness them in different ways than he ever thought.
Joey Slackman: the ultimate three-sport athlete
Don’t let his last name fool you. For Joey Slackman, the work ethic was always there with his schoolwork. But that wasn’t the case with his athletic endeavors.
By his own admission, Joey Slackman didn’t have the drive to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics as a young boy. “At that age, I did have dreams of playing at a high level of college football, but I lacked the work ethic to get there,” Slackman admitted. “I always focused on careers beyond sports because of the academic importance my parents drilled into me since I was born. But at the same time, I always knew I had it in me to make it– even when I lacked the confidence and determination when I was younger.”
But that’s not to say Slackman didn’t compete athletically as a kid. He started playing football at the age of nine, and loved it. In his early years, though, it felt like something was missing– and he took an unconventional route to plug the gap in his game.
“My youth football coaches actually encouraged me to take up wrestling,” Slackman recalled. “They told me that wrestling was a sport that would develop my skills on the football field even more. Plus, my dad wanted me to try wrestling in middle school to learn how to be tougher.”
Joey Slackman had no way of knowing this at the time, but by joining his middle school wrestling team, his transformation into an SEC athlete had begun.
One of the biggest hurdles for football players to overcome is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Playing in scorching hot temperatures, playing through fatigue, and playing through scrapes, cramps and bruises is commonplace– especially in the SEC. Braving these uncomfortable situations breeds endurance, and tolerance, that allow the player to shake off his discomfort and thrive in critical situations.
And by joining his wrestling team, Joey Slackman was teaching himself to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“I hated wrestling at first,” Slackman confessed. “I mean, I really, really hated it. But it grew on me as I grew older and began to see the value of it.”
Slackman went on to explain that with each wrestling practice and match he participated in, he began to see his path to playing big time football outlined a little more clearly. He quickly noticed that his football coaches were correct: the techniques used to score takedowns in wrestling were very similar to what he would need to do as a defensive lineman to beat an opposing offensive lineman and get into the backfield. As soon as the connection clicked for him, he began to spend more time seriously training as a wrestler.
The hard work paid off. As an upperclassman in high school, Slackman quickly shot up the ranks to become one of the best wrestlers in the country. InterMat ranked him as the #12 wrestler in the country at the 285 lb division, while FloWrestling and TheOpenMat.com each had him ranked #17. Along the way, he was named a two-time All-American.
Sure enough, his wrestling success translated onto the football field. Though his high school team finished 4-5, Slackman nonetheless stood out as a disruptive defensive lineman, earning first-team All-State honors as a senior and attracting some attention from smaller D1 colleges.
To not only letter, but earn honors, in two different sports in high school is a sufficient threshold to declare someone to be a successful athlete. Yet Slackman also found the time to play tennis, lettering for his high school team in a third sport.
“Tennis was the sport I played longest growing up (along with football),” Slackman explains. “My mom is a huge tennis fan and has played throughout her life, so she got my sister and I into it from a young age.”
Even in high school, Slackman was able to credit his tennis background for the football success he’d had up to that point. “The footwork you need in tennis has definitely translated to football,” Slackman says, “Along with allowing me to shift my body weight and keep balance very well. I’m definitely grateful for my tennis background.”
All the while, even as he played three sports and racked up the honors in two of them, Joey Slackman never lost sight of his number one priority.
Joey Slackman: putting the student in student-athlete
For Joey Slackman, the classroom came first.
In high school, Slackman boasted a 4.0 GPA, a spot in the National Honor Society, and consistent appearances on the high honor roll and various All-Academic teams. And to Slackman and his parents, that was always what mattered most. Because it simply had to.
“From a young age, my parents instilled that academic importance in me,” Slackman explains. “I mean, they really drilled that into me. And the reason school always came first is because we all knew that at some point– whether at age 18 or age 38– at some point, my sports career would end, and I’d have to fall back on my education for the rest of my life. I always felt like I could be equally great at both my class work and athletics, and I feel I’ve done that so far.”
The University of Pennsylvania felt so, too. The Ivy League doesn’t offer athletic scholarships, but the chance to play Division I football while getting a top-notch education wasn’t something he could pass up. So Joey Slackman signed the paperwork to join the football and wrestling teams for the Penn Quakers.
Even on the field against other Ivy League athletes, Slackman used his studious nature as a weapon. He credits his film study and preparation, as well as his wrestling background, as responsible for the first few plays he made as a Quaker. As a rookie in 2021, he registered a pair of solo sacks against Dartmouth and Brown. And that, says Slackman, is when something clicked.
“I honestly didn’t have that “aha” moment until I made those first couple of plays as a Quaker,” Slackman recalls. “That’s when I knew I could really do it, that I belonged here. Getting those sacks against Dartmouth and Brown allowed me to believe, for the first time, that I can do this at a high level.”
That 2021 season served as a launching pad for his football career, when he arrived onto the scene as a true freshman with 2.5 sacks and 16 total tackles. Slackman then took a big step forward as a sophomore, tallied 4.5 sacks and 49 tackles in 2022, and that garnered him attention as an All-Ivy Honorable Mention nominee. He also batted away a pair of passes and was credited with four quarterback hurries.
And then came 2023, when the Joey Slackman stock spiked.
The statistics for Slackman weren’t so drastically different in 2023 compared to 2022– some of his ancillary numbers actually decreased– but his abundance of energy and intelligence proved problematic and disruptive for opponents in a new way. By the end of the year, it was obvious that plays were being run at him less frequently as opposing offenses learned the hard way that he was a nightmare to deal with, regardless of where he lined up in the trenches.
And yet: even while only playing nine games and being avoided whenever possible, Slackman racked up 12 tackles for loss and commanded unprecedented attention. Despite a 6-4 record for the Quakers (in fairness, two of those losses came in overtime and the other two were by one possession) Slackman’s name was unignorable not just in the confines of the Ivy League– he was an obvious choice for the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year– but across the country. The national media took notice of his production, and Slackman was named a second-team FCS All-American by the AFCA and a third-team FCS All-American by Phil Steele to put a bow on his junior season.
Fortunately for Slackman– and unfortunately for Penn– bigger schools took notice of that production, too.
Joey Slackman hits the big time, prepared to put it all together at Florida
Slackman loved his time at Penn, but after his explosive jump as a junior, he felt it was time to give himself the best opportunity possible at making it in the pros. And he now had that option in his back pocket.
That opportunity lay about a thousand miles south, in the land of the SEC. It’s a land Slackman had long admired from afar, and yearned of immersing himself in, but never thought he actually would have the chance to be a part of.
“Growing up, I always watched the famous Tebow teams,” Slackman said. “So of course I knew about the Florida Gators and admired them. I didn’t think I’d ever play in that jersey, but I always loved those teams and the way they played the game.”
Then came his junior season, all the accolades, and the increase in his stock. So he decided to transfer to an SEC school for his final season of eligibility. And it came down to Auburn and Florida.
There was a time in his recruitment process where Slackman was drawn toward Auburn, but the Swamp’s atmosphere was simply too enticing to pass up in the end. So he chose to play for the Gators. In the end, he feels he made the right decision– both in terms of the SEC and Florida specifically.
“The football culture down south is something I was always aware of but didn’t really understand it until I moved down to Gainesville,” Slackman remarked. “Now that I’m here, I appreciate it more than ever.”
Joey Slackman wasted no time proving himself worthy of his chance to be a part of things with a scholarship spot in Gainesville. Teammates quickly marveled at all he brought to the table from day one.
“I love Joey Slackman,” exclaimed fellow defensive lineman Cam Jackson in a text message. “Joey has a great work ethic. He’s a great leader on and off the field– he comes to work READY to work every day and as a fellow senior, I love it.”
Jackson went on to explain that his mind naturally drives him to succeed– “I think we all need to self-produce motivation,” he says– but that Slackman’s energy and leadership skills make him better at everything he does. “The team is better for having Joey Slackman, no question about it,” Jackson told me. “Because he has this way of making you want to be better. And he can change how he does it depending on the player. Sometimes he leads without a word, just by example and gaining praise from coaches as proof of how to do something right, and sometimes he’ll just tell you. He knows how to get the best out of different types of guys. That’s leadership.”
In saying that, Jackson actually touched on the greater trait that makes Slackman what he is– his versatility. And he credits that versatility to his lifelong values.
“Understanding what the offense is going to do blocking wise before the play happens is the majority of the battle,” Slackman told me. “Everyone has the physical tools, but if you can study the game and know what you’re getting, that puts you above the rest. Many say that sports are 90% mental, 10% physical, and I agree with that wholeheartedly. I’m also extremely grateful for my three-sport background. The footwork comes from tennis. The hand-placement, leverage, and ability to keep a strong base– which is most of my job as a 3-technique or a nose– comes from wrestling. And I’m extremely grateful for having great parents who continue to assist in my development to this day.”
All this is great, and does bode well for Slackman this upcoming season. Having increased levels of success during offseason practices at Penn did precede increased levels of production on the field in the fall. And now, in the summer of 2024, he’s hopeful to see the same translation in the fall.
The difference is, this time around, Joey Slackman is showing what he can do in practice for one of the most prestigious programs in college football.
“Just like at Penn,” Slackman remarked, “I’ve had some of those ‘ah-ha!’ moments during spring ball. Making plays against guys who were rated more highly than me and getting better each practice has helped build that confidence, only now it’s at the highest level of college football.”
Looking ahead to Slackman’s last ride
As excited as he is to live his dream of playing big time college football, Joey Slackman also knows there’s more at stake than just his personal development. He came to Gainesville for reasons other than improving his own NFL Draft hopes. He wants to win.
And he knows he’ll have a hand in the Gators’ efforts to do that.
“I can’t wait to make plays in the Swamp,” Slackman declared. “And not just because of the culture and the environment, but because of how much winning means to the people here. I want to be part of that.”
But Slackman also realizes that he’s one part of a large operation, and cannot control everything on his own. And he realizes he’s going to need help from his teammates.
Florida’s defense was historically bad in 2022, finishing 97th in the country in total defense. That ranking got only marginally better in 2023, lowlighted by the single worst performance in school history– surrendering an astounding 702 yards of offense to LSU– and a 4th and 17 defensive breakdown that cost them the game against Missouri the following week. For perspective, from 2005-2016, Florida finished with a top ten defense in the country in eleven of those twelve seasons.
But the more deeply you dive into the stats, the uglier it looks. Florida allowed 6.5 yards a play– that’s 125th out of 130 FBS teams– and the explosive run rate of 19.4% was so bad that it qualified as the second worst in the entire country.
In other words, the standard at Florida is to have elite defenses, and so far under Billy Napier, it’s been anything but. Will this year be different?
Slackman believes so. And he thinks there’s something positive about having so many players back from those struggling defenses– as he sees a hunger and drive for success that could spark something special.
“Every single player in that DL room has his own role on this team,” he explained. “And we all make each other better. Guys like Cam Jackson, Kelby Collins, Jamari Lyons, and Dez Watson were all here last year. They know what happened. They’re determined to right that ship. And the new guys, like D’Antre Robinson and LJ McCray, didn’t come to Florida to sit on the bench. They want to play ASAP.”
Slackman then went on to detail the mindset that each player has. Having always been a student of the game and a believer that football is much more mental than physical, he knows firsthand that physical talent isn’t enough. The right mentality is always required to supplement it.
And Slackman thinks this team has it– because it knows it has to. There’s no fear of competition. It’s embraced.
“It’s an “iron sharpens iron” mentality that we’re developing,” he told me. “Our coaches have done a great job fostering that culture since I’ve moved down here and we’re bringing it to every practice of every workout on every day.”
But even as Slackman approaches his one and only season in the SEC with a business mentality, he does admit that the little kid that still exists inside him is giddy with glee. In talking with me, he did allow himself the briefest of moments to enjoy the heights his journey has reached thus far. And he deserves that.
“Did I think I’d ever play for the Florida Gators? Not even a little,” Slackman laughed. “Being given the chance to play at this level is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s a chance to give my absolute best every day. Capitalizing on it means offering 100% of myself to the cause, staying present, and enjoying the position that I’m in.”
Of course, Slackman’s story is far from over. It would make for quite a fairy-tale to be able to wrap up this piece with how Slackman finished his climb to the mountain he’d admired with awe but never thought he’d be able to approach, but we simply don’t have that data yet. This story is left unfinished and incomplete, and the paper remains dry, waiting for Slackman to write that final chapter of which we don’t yet know the contents.
But what we do know is that betting against Joey Slackman is very unlikely to be a move that ages well. He’s overcome odds and outperformed his supposed ceiling so many times before. Why not do it again?
“Being given the chance to play at this level is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Slackman remarked. “It’s a chance to give my absolute best every day. Capitalizing on it means offering 100% of myself to the cause, staying present, and enjoying the position that I’m in.”
So let’s take a second to recall his journey once more.
A three-sport athlete with high intelligence and a great work ethic netted Slackman quite a list of accolades, but never once did he think he would get to live his ultimate dream of playing on the hallowed grounds of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium– or any SEC school, for that matter. And yet here he stands, a few short weeks away from living that dream.
So, what can we expect from Joey Slackman in 2024 for the Florida Gators?
“I’m going to make the most of this final season,” Slackman swore. “I can’t wait.”
Neither can we.
