Dooley’s Dozen: Florida football’s 12 best true freshmen
There was a time when you had to wait your turn to be a Florida Gator football player.
That was before the NCAA changed the rules and allowed true freshmen to start playing in 1972. Since then, the list of true freshmen who contributed right away to Florida’s teams is long.
The latest Dooley’s Dozen takes a look at the 12 players who made special impacts for the Gators over the years.
Like it is with all lists, I probably missed somebody. And you may think I am leaving out somebody. Sorry. But this is a pretty impressive list. This is not a ranking as much as it is the 12 who made the biggest impressions on me.
Vernon Hargreaves III
Hargreaves was a big-time get for Will Muschamp. Even though he started his career on the bench, he was quickly moved into the starting lineup. He had three interceptions and 11 pass breakups as a true freshman and was named All-SEC.
Scot Brantley
Brantley was a beast who literally tried to tackle through the ball carriers. He stepped right into the starting lineup and led the team in tackles in 1976. Even though he missed most of his senior year, he is considered one of the greatest linebackers in Florida history.
Joe Haden
Haden was a player without a position when he came to Florida in 2007, but the staff knew he needed to play cornerback. All he did was become the first true freshman to start on opening day and went on to a great career.
Maurkice Pouncey
His brother Mike got stuck on defense during that true freshman 2007 season, but the Gators knew Maurkice was a step ahead of his twin. He started 10 of 12 games at right guard before switching to center the following season.
Chris Leak
Leak was considered the biggest recruit for Florida under Ron Zook and was finally inserted into the starting lineup against Kentucky. Florida pulled that game out, and Leak was the man the rest of the way. As a true freshman, he threw for 2,345 yards and 16 touchdowns, and he went on to win a national title as a senior.
Emmitt Smith
Well, you knew this name was going to come up and would probably be the most impactful out of all of these youngsters. After playing little in the first two games in 1987, he went berserk against Alabama with 224 yards and two scores. He went on to gain 1,341 yards and score 13 TDs. He was the SEC freshman of the year and finished ninth in the Heisman voting.
Fred Taylor
Taylor came in with a bit of an upright running style that the coaches tried to get him to change, but he still ran for 873 yards and his speed allowed him to leave defenders in the dust. He scored eight touchdowns as a true freshman.
Percy Harvin
The stats weren’t overwhelming – in part because of an injury – but you could see Florida had someone special in 2006. He ran for 428 yards and caught passes for another 427 yards. And there was that performance against Arkansas in the SEC title game for which he was named the MVP.
Reidel Anthony
Anthony was a speedster who used to talk about that speed coming from chasing rabbits in the Belle Glades sugar cane fields. He caught 30 passes for 615 yards as a true freshman and also averaged 25.2 yards a kickoff return and 11.5 yards per punt return.
Tim Tebow
His impact on the 2006 team was more than just the bullish runs when Florida needed a first down. He threw or ran for 13 touchdowns (including the famous jump pass to Tate Casey) and his passer rating was 201.7. Oh, and he was Tim Tebow.
Mike Williams
The Mike Williams who recently committed to Florida has a big name to follow for those of us who remember this guy. He was the first true freshman to start for Florida and had a great career at offensive tackle.
Evan McPherson
Yes, there is a kicker on this list. McPherson was going to Mississippi State before Dan Mullen showed up at Florida. McPherson went on to be one of the best ever at UF and as a freshman made 17 of 19 field goal tries and didn’t miss an extra point. He’s still money today.
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