Like many children growing up in Haiti, Jeffson Lafontant loved playing soccer.
Something about the sport felt special — whether he played alone or with friends, Lafontant quickly discovered a knack for it. Maybe his lanky build made the game come naturally.
As he reflects on those early days living with his mother in Delmas, a bustling urban area of Port-au-Prince, memories wash over him. He spent most of his days either at school or alone at home.
"I had a lot of great childhood memories," Lafontant recently told the Orlando Sentinel.
Even as a child, he understood that success required hard work — a lesson he learned by watching his favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
"If you work hard, it will pay off eventually," Lafontant said of the international soccer star. "I was trying to work hard because that's who I grew up watching. He was not the best, but he always worked hard and it paid off."
Lafontant has embraced that philosophy throughout his life, especially after moving to Miami at 13. He began playing American football in high school, which ultimately led him to the college game — first at Bethune-Cookman and now as a defensive tackle at UCF .
The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder is in his second season with the Knights, where he has steadily made a name for himself on the defensive line. Lafontant has played in every game this season, starting five times and leading the team in tackles for loss (5.5) and quarterback hurries (4), while ranking second in sacks (2).
"He's a unique combination of size, speed and twitchiness, and he's been a problem for us to block through spring ball and fall camp," said coach Scott Frost .
His football career almost never happened.
Lafontant didn't pick up football until his early days at North Miami Beach High School.
"I remember I was sitting in my living room after COVID and I was just getting fat," said Lafontant. "I was bored and when I went back to school, everybody was telling me I was too big to play soccer. They suggested football.
"I started thinking about it. If you play football and you're good at it, you could go to college. I wanted to go to college, so I thought I would give it a shot."
But after a few days of conditioning with some of his soccer friends, Lafontant decided football might not be for him.
"The coach kept making us start back over and over, and we looked at each other and made a decision: We're going to bounce because this ain't for us," said Lafontant.
But a week later, Lafontant returned to the team and asked for another chance.
The coach sent him to work out with the JV squad.
"I learned about being a team player and having fun," he said.
He was called up to the varsity squad after the summer, but a few days into fall camp, Lafontant changed his mind — again.
"That was my first time playing football, and my body was sore the next morning, and I was like, 'Nah, this ain't for me,' so I quit another time," said Lafontant.
This time, however, someone else convinced him to try again.
"Thank God for my auntie," Lafontant said. "She called me the next morning and asked why I wasn't at practice. I told her I quit. She asked why I quit. I told her my body was sore and it wasn't for me.
"She came right over to my house, grabbed me by my ear, and took me back to practice."
After a brief discussion between his auntie and North Miami Beach High coach Jeff Bertani, Lafontant returned to the team, first on the scout team before eventually stepping into the starting left tackle spot his junior year. He became a two-way player his senior year, playing both offensive and defensive tackle spots.
He also helped out on special teams.
"I ended up being the kicker too, because of my soccer background," said Lafontant, who would be named Defensive Player of the Year that season.
Still, Lafontant wasn't heavily recruited out of high school, only receiving a few offers from Division II and III schools. Searching for his next step, he found himself at Bethune-Cookman.
"They wanted me to come try out, but they were not going to give me a full scholarship because they don't have it," Lafontant recalled. "They told me if I come and play my butt off, they're going to give me a scholarship next year."
Lafontant appeared in eight games for the Wildcats as a freshman, totaling 19 tackles.
"That year I made the decision; I was going to be the best version of myself, so I started working hard after spring camp, working out twice a day," he said.
He got off to a solid start to his sophomore campaign, but in the fourth game of the season against Clark Atlanta, Lafontant fractured his forearm.
"I ended up going to the hospital following the game and having surgery the next day," said Lafontant, who wound up redshirting.
That spring, he entered the transfer portal and landed at UCF.
"A lot of teams were hitting me up, but I didn't want to go," Lafontant said. "I wanted to go somewhere that I could feel comfortable with and also be developed."
After appearing in 10 games last season in a limited role with the Knights, Lafontant decided he needed to commit more to get to the next level.
So he doubled his workouts at UCF, and when fall camp arrived, he took another big step by basically moving in to the facility.
"I went to Walmart and I got an air mattress, so instead of going home during the break, I set up in the defensive tackles room," said Lafontant. "I would take a quick nap, watch some film and get right back at it."
Lafontant spent fall camp in his new surroundings, occasionally getting an odd look from teammates and coaches after spending the night after a full day of practice and film study.
"They were like, 'What are you doing? Go home. You live right there (pointing across the street to the dorms). I'm like, 'Nah, I'm going to stay there, take a little nap and then watch some film,'" he said.
So far, the effort has paid off, but for Lafontant, it's always about chasing a better version of himself.
"I'm going to be a better version of myself," he said. "A couple of versions of myself I didn't like. So, I'm always chasing this guy … I want to be better."
Lafontant believes that a better version of himself will lead to a successful NFL career, which in turn will open doors to help his family out financially.
When he steps on the field across from an offensive lineman, his mentality is a simple one:
"They're not helping me," said Lafontant. "They're trying to block me and prevent me from tackling the ball carrier. They're preventing me from getting the money to help my family. They're stopping me from doing that. That's kind of how I play."
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram at @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com . Sign up for the Sentinel's Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
What:UCF (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) vs. No. 2 BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12)
When:3:30, Saturday
Where:Acrisure Bounce House Stadium
TV:Fox
Favorite:BYU by 6.5 points
