Gervon Dexter — once opposed to playing football — joins the Chicago Bears as a talented defensive tackle with untapped potential

If persistence is the intersection of optimism and grit, Lake Wales (Fla.) High football coach Tavaris Johnson leaned heavily on those traits every time he crossed paths with Gervon Dexter in the hallways of the school.

Johnson, who is also a dean, was eager to see Dexter, a hulking freshman and talented AAU basketball player, on the football field. His initial efforts were met with the kind of box-out Dexter would use to corral rebounds easily.

“I knew Gervon and I knew his family well,” Johnson said. “I played with a few of his uncles. He comes from a very talented family. The first thing I said to Gervon was, ‘Hey, a guy your size should be on the football field. You are a dream waiting to happen.’ He looks at me and he says, ‘Coach, I’m not playing football.’ I’m like, ‘What?!? You’ve got to be