He’s 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds right now can handle any body or any business that is put in front of him. But defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, who is expected to show up on campus this summer, is in a situation nobody wants to be in. His father is very ill and taking care of him is out of his control.

The doctors feel they can correct things, but it hurts when someone is so important to you and you don’t have the control.

“My dad is like my leader, taught me everything I know,” Dexter said by phone on Saturday. “He’s a good dude. If anybody asks him for something and he’s got it, he’d give it. He’s just a good dude.”

“That’s my everything. He means a lot to me. He does everything for me really, so it’s tough times.”

Gerald showed Gervon how to work and fight and that’s what he is likely doing for himself right now as much as he can do. He is a driving force behind Gervon striving as high as he has already.

“I remember him going out and playing basketball with me as a child,” Dexter said. “Just me and him going up and down the road for tournaments. Just going up to Gainesville for visits. He went with me for every one of them.”

Gerald Dexter was set to have surgery on Thursday, but some complications arose and he had to transfer hospitals. Now another big issue has popped up and things are a little more worrisome, with hope and prayer leading their thoughts.

“It just came out of nowhere and then he got sick real bad,” he said about the initial heart issue. “He had to get his valve replaced. They told him that he was going to have it done on Thursday and they moved it to Monday. They moved him to Tampa Hospital and then they found him unresponsive yesterday. He had to have brain surgery. So he had his brain surgery yesterday and he’s still recovering right now.”

With everything going on around us as a state and a country and really around the entire world, to have something like this pop up has to be

His worry has to be diluted a bit, because momma Stephanie needs his support. With Gerald, she is Gervon’s other biggest fan and often would share Twitter clips of some of the big time plays by the nation’s No. 12 overall player in the 247Sports composite rankings. Gerald has to be there for mom’s hard moments.

“I’m just trying to stay strong for her, that’s it really,” he said. “She’s doing fine right now, trying to stay strong.”

“I’m doing fine, just praying.”

The Dexters have started a ‘Go Fund Me’ account because of the excessive costs of the hospital bills which likely will be much higher with the extra brain surgery. The account which is shared in the Tweet below from mom had to be approved by the NCAA and it was as long as they don’t personally consistently advertise for it. Calls to Florida officials shared that it was permissible to do this story.

https://t.co/wxO5FVjTqY unfortunately I had to delete the first one due ncaa but today it has been cleared for me to post this thankyou guys and also my husband surgery was rescheduled for Monday thankyou guys ?? — stephaniedexter (@stephaniedexte7) March 19, 2020

“It means a lot. I’m not allowed to repost it or ask people to help, that was part of the thing with the NCAA for me to do it,” he said. “But seeing people giving means a lot to me.”

Gervon and his family are anxious for dad to get better and then he can turn his attention to showing up at Florida. The biggest thing for him to do in his time is to grow up and be a lot like dad.

“Just working hard and getting better, being a better me, being a better person,” Gervon said. “The most important part to me is getting an education.”

“It’s not about football. It ain’t about sports, just being the best person I can be.”

And he’s ready for dad to start making those trips to Gainesville again.

“He is really excited and he’s ready to watch me play,” Gervon said. “He’s excited for me to get there.”