Two years ago, Florida football was at its lowest point in decades. With multiple injuries hampering both sides of the ball, the Gators went 4-8 – the school’s first losing season since going winless in 1979 (0-10-1).

The 2013 season was so bad that Florida even lost at home to Vanderbilt, ending a 22-game winning streak against the Commodores. Even worse was a loss to Georgia Southern, which was an FCS team at the time.

Playing for an SEC championship felt a ways off – certainly longer than two years.

For the freshman class that signed with Florida a month after the Gators went 11-2 and played in the Sugar Bowl, a 4-8 start to their careers had to feel devastating. On this week’s SEC Championship Game media teleconference, junior CB Vernon Hargreaves III was asked about how his freshman season affects his appreciation of the trip to Atlanta.

“Oh, man, it makes it just feel that much better,” Hargreaves said. “Obviously I’ve never been to the SEC Championship. It’s my first time. But I’ve heard, everybody always tells us about how exciting it is. Coach Mac (McElwain) talks about the energy; even Coach Mike Peterson (strength and conditioning assistant), he always tells us how big of a game it is. I’m just really excited. The guys, we worked hard for it. We went through a lot. We had downs in the season but everybody stuck through and we pulled through. We deserve to be here.”

As a high first-round pick on many draft boards Hargreaves, the junior’s next trip to the Georgia Dome will likely be in an NFL uniform. Senior OG Trip Thurman will certainly be playing in his only SEC Championship Game.

“I know a lot of fans and expectations outside of this program thought we wouldn’t be here at this point of the season,” Thurman said. “But we’re happy to be here and ready to compete.”

Thurman’s words are a reminder just how far veterans like he and Hargreaves have come in 12 months under McElwain. This summer, the media picked the Gators to finish fifth in the SEC East, and 10-2 seemed a lot less likely than 7-5 (last season’s record).

Hargreaves, Thurman and other departing seniors like DL Jonathan Bullard and LB Antonio Morrison will obviously be hungry to win, but they should also pause to appreciate the moment, and reflect on how far they’ve come as a team. Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the 2015 Gators have exceeded expectations and have made the dark days of 4-8 a distant memory.