As we continue with the Season of Lists and wait for the thumbs up or thumbs down on the 2020 college football season, we bring you the top 25 players of the last decade for Florida football. A caveat — we chose not to include current players because their legacies are not complete. And don’t be mad because we didn’t include any kickers or punters. There were too many good players.
We continue the countdown with 1-5:
No. 5 — Antonio Callaway
2016-16, Wide receiver
Had Callaway been able to stay out of trouble, he might have ended up in the conversation of greatest players in Florida history. He had 89 catches in his two seasons (one you’ll never forget) and was a great punt returner as well.
No. 4 — Jordan Reed
2010-12, Tight end
Here’s an interesting note — if Urban Meyer had returned for the 2011 season, Reed likely would have been his quarterback. Instead, he became a great tight end with 79 catches and 11 TDs after a redshirt freshman year where he had 328 rushing yards and 252 passing.
No. 3 — Matt Elam
2010-12, Safety
Elam was a player who could make all the plays whether it was stripping the ball (ask Odell Beckham Jr.) or making a crucial tackle. He was an All-American his final year and finished with 176 tackles, six picks and 23.5 tackles for a loss.
No. 2. Jarrad Davis
2013-16, Linebacker
Davis had 201 tackles and nine passes broken up, but the main reason he is so high on this list is because of the way the players still talk about his leadership. Dan Mullen referred to him as the ultimate Alpha Dog and he never even coached him.
No. 1 Vernon Hargreaves III
2013-15, Cornerback
There are only two defensive backs who have been named All-America twice and the other was Louis Oliver. Hargreaves was also first-team All-SEC three times. Both the coaches team and the writers. So you can see why he’s No. 1.
As I said in the 6-10 list about Bullard being not as high as he should be. I just looked at Elam, who I know is awesome. He only had 1 more tackle. How don’t care how many years each played. 175 on the Dline is incredible.