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Ranking the Top 25 Florida Football Players of All Time
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They make football players different in the state of Florida.
Ask Steve Spurrier, who built an SEC dynasty in Gainesville in the 1990s on the backs of in-state talent.
“Florida is maybe the best state for finding players. We knew if we could pick off the best in our backyard, we’d have a great chance to win. You have to coach ’em up, certainly. But we knew we could find him in our state,” Spurrier told SDS in 2023.
Don’t just take Spurrier’s word for it.
“Florida is and always will be either a fierce, awake, ornery alligator or a sleeping giant. When they harness all that talent and the giant wakes up, it will be scary,” Bear Bryant famously told the Gainesville Quarterback Club.
Yes, the Gators always have players. That’s how you become a top-10 NFL pipeline program with 58 first-round draft picks, 3 Heisman Trophy winners, 10 SEC championships and 3 (claimed) national championships.
It also makes the task of ranking the 25 greatest Florida players of all time a monumental challenge.
From Heisman winners Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel and Spurrier to the 33 consensus first-team All-Americans, 10 College Football Hall of Famers and nearly 100 All-Americans, here is Saturday Down South’s ranking of the Gators’ 25 best players of all time.
Ranking Top 25 Florida Gators of All Time
25. Brandon Spikes, LB (2006-2009)
One of 8 unanimous All-American selections in the history of Florida football, Spikes anchored a national championship defense in 2008 and led the nation’s top statistical defense to a 13-1 season as a senior in 2009. A five-star recruit out of Shelby, North Carolina, Spikes was named All-SEC in 3 consecutive seasons and graduated as a member of the winningest senior class in Florida history (48-7).
He’s also the owner of one of the top 5 best hits in Florida football history, a tone-setting bop on Knowshon Moreno on the second play of the 2008 game which helped the then No. 8 Gators rout their No. 5 archrival Georgia 49-10.
24. Carlos Alvarez, WR (1969-1971)
A consensus All-American as a sophomore in 1969 and First-Team All-SEC selection twice (1969 and 1971), the Cuban Comet helped lead the Gators to a 9-1-1 record in 1969, which included a 14-13 bowl win over Tennessee where Alvarez caught the winning touchdown pass. Alvarez remains Florida’s all-time leader in career receiving yards (2,563) and receptions in a season (88). He would rank higher on this list had injuries not largely erased his 1970 campaign.
No matter, Alvarez still was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Alvarez’s immigrant story, which led him from a working class Cuban community in Miami to great heights as an attorney later in life, is documented in the SEC Storied film The All-American Cuban Comet.
23. Keiwan Ratliff, CB (2000-2003)
The 2003 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Ratliff holds Florida’s single-season interceptions record (9) and remains Florida’s all-time leader in punt return yards, a testament to his influence in multiple phases of the game. Twice a First-Team All-SEC selection at corner, Raitliff is 1 of just 5 Gators to intercept 3 passes in a single game.
22. Reidel Anthony, WR (1994-1996)
A lanky receiver with track star speed from South Florida prep powerhouse Glades Central, Anthony gained over 2,000 yards and scored 26 touchdowns in 3 years as a starter at Florida, including a First-Team All-SEC and All-American campaign in Florida’s 1996 national title campaign. Anthony’s 18 touchdown receptions in 1996 stood as the SEC single-season record until 2019, when Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson both caught 19 touchdowns.
Anthony’s All-American nod makes him eligible to appear on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
21. Lito Sheppard, CB (1999-2001)
A five-star talent out of Jacksonville, Sheppard lived up to the hype in Gainesville, where he started three years for the Gators and became a Consensus All-American in 2000. Sheppard was twice selected First-Team All-SEC as well (2000 and 2001), and finished his Florida career with 8 interceptions, two punt returns for touchdowns, the best single-season punt return yards average in school history (14 per return, in 2000), and an astounding 36.5% completion percentage on targets against his coverage.
Like Anthony (and others named an All-American), Sheppard also is eligible to appear on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
20. Kyle Pitts, TE (2018-2020)
The only tight end in college football history to finish in the top 10 in the Heisman voting, Pitts was a man-child of a mismatch who has reshaped how coaches scout the tight end position.
“We used to think if a guy had decent speed and good hands, he might be an All-League kid,” Nick Saban said after Pitts strafed the Crimson Tide to the tune of 7 receptions, 129 yards, and a touchdown in the 2020 SEC Championship. “Now we all are searching for talents like Pitts — too fast to cover with a linebacker or safety, too big to cover with a corner, elite hands. He’s different.”
Pitts was different, as his 2020 COVID-shortened campaign against SEC only competition demonstrated. In just 8 games, Pitts caught 43 passes for 770 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Pitts won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end and was a unanimous All-American as a result of that effort.
He’ll be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame as soon as his NFL career ends.
19. Errict Rhett, RB (1990-1993)
Florida’s all-time leading rusher isn’t the NFL’s All-Time leading rusher, though that player also was a Gator. Instead, it is Errict Rhett, who tallied 4,163 yards in four seasons at Florida, where he served as captain of the 1993 SEC champions and twice earned First-Team All-SEC honors. A First-Team All-American in 1993, Rhett was the workhorse in Spurrier’s balanced Fun ‘N’ Gun offense that season, which he capped with a 115-yard MVP performance in a Sugar Bowl win over West Virginia.
Rhett has previously appeared on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot.
18. Chris Doering, WR (1991-1995)
A walk-on for his hometown team, Doering became a three-time SEC champion, team captain and All-American by his senior season in 1995, when Florida went 12-0 in the regular season before falling to Nebraska in the unofficial national championship game. Doering’s 31 career receiving touchdowns remained a SEC record until Alabama Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith broke the record in 2020.
None was as famous as the one above, thrown to him by another Florida freshman, Danny Wuerffel, in the waning moments of a game at Kentucky in 1992.
17. Fred Taylor, RB (1994-1997)
Taylor ranks fifth on Florida’s all-time leading rusher list with 3,075 yards, but that’s a misleading way to judge his Florida career considering he shared carries with 2 other backs during his first 3 seasons in Gainesville. The Belle Glade product finally was the Florida bellcow for the Gators in 1997, and he delivered an All-American season, rushing for 1,292 yards and 13 touchdowns, including 4 scores in Florida’s thrilling 32-29 win over No. 1 Florida State on Senior Day. Taylor would go on to have a Hall of Fame worthy career as a Jacksonville Jaguar.
16. Jevon Kearse, Edge (1995-1998)
Kearse’s impact was less about statistics and more about intimidation and film study.
“When you saw No. 42 on the field for the Gators, they just looked scarier and different,” former Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer told SDS.
Kearse’s college numbers were never gaudy, but Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops would line up “The Freak” at end or linebacker, in a stance or standing up, and he was the first guy opposing quarterbacks had to find on any given down. Kearse was a First-Team All-American (thus making him eligible for College Hall of Fame inclusion) as a testament to his ability to influence the game in 1998.
15. Ike Hilliard, WR (1994-1996)
Hilliard was as graceful a wide receiver as has ever played at Florida, a perfect blend of speed, route running and physicality who made getting open seem easy and gliding past a secondary once he did catch the ball easier. Hilliard, a Consensus All-American in 1996, also had a knack for the big moment. Whether it was a four-touchdown performance in a comeback win over Peyton Manning and Tennessee in 1995, a backbreaking touchdown in a win over Florida State that same season, or this stop-and-go touchdown in Florida’s 52-20 national title winning rout of the Seminoles in 1996 — Hilliard loved the big stage.
14. Alex Brown, DE (1997-2001)
A three-time All-American and All-SEC selection who is on the ballot in 2025 and belongs in the College Football Hall of Fame, Brown remains the all-time career Florida leader in sacks (33) and sacks in a single season (13). Brown was the epitome of consistency, registering a tackle for loss in each of his last 15 starts as a Gator on his way to 47 career tackles for loss. His five-sack performance in Florida’s 23-21 win over Tee Martin and a top-5 defending national champion Tennessee in 1999 remains one of the greatest single-game defensive performances in SEC history.
13. Reggie Nelson, S (2005-2006)
Nelson was the best safety to play at a school that has produced multiple Pro Bowl safeties. A Consensus All-American selection in 2006, Nelson recorded 52 tackles, five pass breakups and 6 interceptions as the anchor of Florida’s national title winning defense during that campaign.
His 70-yard interception against Alabama in 2006 finished off the Mike Shula era in Tuscaloosa –and gave “The Eraser” his signature moment as a Gator.
12. Joe Haden, CB (2007-2009)
A unanimous All-American selection in 2009, Haden was the best defensive player this writer ever saw live at Florida. He was nearly unbeatable over the top (2 receptions of 30 yards or more against in a three-year career) and was willing and physical in run support despite his prowess as a cover corner.
Haden’s 88-yard interception return for a touchdown all but sealed Florida’s rout of Georgia in 2009 and did seal Florida’s thrilling comeback win over Nick Saban and Alabama in the SEC Championship in 2008. Haden, who is eligible for College Football Hall of Fame consideration, played over a decade in the NFL, earning All-Pro honors.
11. Rex Grossman, QB (2000-2002)
Grossman, a three-time All-SEC quarterback and Consensus All-American in 2001, remains one of the greatest Heisman Trophy snubs in the award’s storied history. No sophomore had ever won the award to that point in 2001, and the media’s staunch refusal to break with history (they would continue that trend until another Gator broke the spell in 2007) cost Grossman the trophy (to Nebraska’s Eric Crouch) by a mere 62 votes in 2001 despite a then-NCAA record 34 touchdown passes in a 3,850-yard campaign. Grossman was named SEC Player of the Year and AP National Player of the Year despite the snub, and his quarterback efficiency rating of 171 remains the highest of any Heisman finalist who did not win the award. Grossman also is eligible for College Football Hall of Fame consideration.
10. Wes Chandler, WR (1974-1977)
Chandler was electric with the ball in his hands, whether lined up in Doug Dickey’s wishbone backfield or as the sole wide receiver.
A two-time All-American and First Team All-SEC selection, Chandler still holds Florida’s all-time record for yards per reception (21.3). In 2015, Chandler was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Chandler was drafted third overall by the Saints in 1978 and was a two-time All-Pro before injuries shortened his career at the next level.
9. Jack Youngblood, DL (1968-1970)
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame, Youngblood started for 3 seasons and recorded 29 sacks in his career in Gainesville. He was the SEC’s best defensive player in 1970. Youngblood is one of two Gators to collect 5 sacks in a game (Alex Brown), accomplishing that feat in a win over rival Florida State in 1969. In 2006, Youngblood was named to Florida’s “Ring of Honor,” which currently honors only 6 Gators players.
8. Lomas Brown, OL (1981-1984)
A native of Miami, Brown spurned the hometown Canes to become the anchor of the “Great Wall” offensive line at Florida in the mid-1980s. A Consensus All-American in 1984, Brown helped the Gators to a 9-1-1 record and the program’s first SEC championship that season. Florida also was named the 1984 National Champion by multiple polls, including the New York Times, but the school does not claim the title due to NCAA probation. Brown, who finally was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020, had an All-Pro career in the NFL and has a strong case for induction to Canton.
7. Steve Spurrier, QB (1964-1966)
Before he revolutionized the SEC as a head coach, Spurrier was the dynamic quarterback who did everything to win at Florida, from drawing up plays in the dirt to score touchdowns (1964, at No. 7 LSU) to kicking game-winning field goals (Auburn, 1966). A unanimous All-American in 1966, Spurrier’s penchant for the dramatic should come as no surprise to anyone who followed him as a coach, but it was the summary written by Atlanta Journal Constitution writer John Logue in 1966 that best sums up the future Ball Coach as a player: “Blindfolded, with his back to the wall, with his hands tied behind him, Steve Spurrier would be a two-point favorite at his own execution.”
Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
6. Emmitt Smith, RB (1987-1989)
The NFL’s All-Time leading rusher in only the 6th greatest Gator?
Yes, he’s “only” 6th. A dynamic force of a runner who blended physicality and vision perfectly, Smith grinded out 3,928 yards on mediocre teams in the late 1990s, helping keep the program afloat in the wake of brutal NCAA sanctions following the mid-1980s. He graduated as Florida’s all-time leading rusher and remains No. 2. Remarkably, Smith still possesses the top 2 single-season rushing efforts in Florida history (1989, 1987) and the top 2 single game efforts as well, including a 224-yard whale of a game in a win over No. 11 Alabama at Legion Field that announced Smith’s presence to the football world.
Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
5. Maurkice Pouncey, OL (2007-2009)
One of two five-star twins, Maurkice Pouncey was a three-year starter for Urban Meyer at guard and center, anchoring a national championship offensive line in 2008. Pouncey’s 91.5% linemen grade in his final campaign, in 2009, remains the best single-season grade in Florida history and it helped him earn Consensus All-American honors. Pouncey also became the first (and only) Gators player to win the Rimington Trophy, honoring the nation’s best center. A longtime starting center for the Steelers, Pouncey went on to be a multiple time All-Pro center who was named to the Football Writers Association All-Decade team for the 2010s. Upon his retirement after the 2020 season, his head coach Mike Tomlin called Pouncey “a lock for Canton,” a ticket that would put him on Florida’s Ring of Honor. He’s also eligible for enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame.
4. Wilber Marshall, LB (1980-1983)
A two-time Consensus All-American, Marshall was the best defensive football player in the history of Florida football, a one-man wrecking crew who could tackle, pressure the quarterback, and play in coverage. In one famous game, a win over No. 10 Southern Cal in Gainesville in 1982, Marshall sacked Trojans quarterback Sean Salisbury 4 times, pressured him 10 times and collected 14 tackles.
USC coach John Robinson told the Los Angeles Times Marshall’s performance was the “single greatest performance by a linebacker I’ve ever seen,” which gives you an idea of just what Marshall was capable of on a football field. Marshall, who was named the 1983 National Defensive Player of the Year by ABC Sports, was placed on Florida’s Ring of Honor in 2006 and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
3. Danny Wuerffel, QB (1993-1996)
Wuerffel won 4 SEC championships, a Heisman Trophy, 2 Davey O’Brien Awards, a Unitas Award, a Walter Camp Award, and 2 SEC Player of the Year awards (all over Tennessee’s Peyton Manning) and a national championship in four years at Florida, but it is his courage and character that people will never forget. A month after being sacked 6 times and hit 15 against Florida State, Wuerffel rallied the Gators to a 52-20 win in the Sugar Bowl, leading Florida to the national championship.
Wuerffel was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
The Danny Wuerffel Award now honors the college football player with the highest character and commitment to community service off the field as well, a testament to Wuerffel’s continued legacy in the sport.
2. Percy Harvin, WR/RB (2006-2008)
Florida’s version of Reggie Bush, Harvin did everything from anywhere on the football field in his 3 seasons in Gainesville. Harvin played in 36 games (starting 35) and gained 3,781 total yards from scrimmage, scoring 32 touchdowns in the process. Harvin’s 11.6 yards per touch remain a Florida and SEC record for players with over 50 rushing attempts and receptions.
Harvin’s accolades speak for themselves: SEC Championship Game MVP as a freshman in 2006, SEC Freshman of the Year (2006), All-American in 2007 and 2008, First-Team All-SEC (2007 and 2008). But it’s his guts — including playing on a broken foot in the 2008 BCS National Championship that Florida won, where he gained 170 yards on 14 touches — that cement his legacy.
Harvin is eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.
His omission from Florida’s Ring of Honor (he does not meet all criteria, because he was never named “National Player of the Year”) is the single-best argument for loosening the criteria that exists.
1. Tim Tebow, QB (2006-2009)
There is a compelling argument that Tim Tebow is the greatest college football player of all time.
The numbers do much of that talking: 9,285 yards passing with 88 touchdowns (just 16 interceptions), 2,947 yards rushing with an SEC-record 57 rushing touchdowns. Tebow was so dominant he broke the years long tradition of not awarding the Heisman to freshmen or sophomores, becoming the first sophomore to win when he captured the Heisman in 2007.
Tebow should have won 2 Heisman Trophies too, but giving it to a player a second time remains unfashionable among the media no matter how obvious it is that they should win (with all due respect to Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, the 2008 winner over Tebow).
While winning every award imaginable, Tebow also played a role in winning 2 SEC and national championships, starting for the Gators in 2008 after being starter Chris Leak’s change of pace quarterback in 2006. By the end of his career in 2009, Tebow was 35-6 as a starting quarterback, scored 50 touchdowns in a season (rushing and passing), and gave a speech after a loss Florida memorialized with a plaque.
After besting Florida in a rematch of the 2008 SEC title game in 2009, Alabama’s Nick Saban called Tebow “the greatest competitor I’ve ever coached against, without question.”
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023, he’s also the greatest Gator.
Neil Blackmon covers Florida football and the SEC for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
