How have Florida's top-ranked recruits fared in college football the past 10 years?
With the 2023 college football season about to start, let's look back at the No. 1 ranked player in the state the past decade, how they performed in college and whether they were truly worthy of the top spot.
While re-picking the No. 1 player obviously is a judgement call, we're basing it primarily on production in college and not leaning (too much) on what they did in the NFL or how they are perceived as NFL prospects.
2013
247: Laremy Tunsil (Columbia OT)
Tunsil made an immediate impact at Ole Miss, earning all-SEC honors all three years of college. He was drafted by the Dolphins with the 13th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
Rivals: CB Vernon Hargreaves III (Wharton CB)
Hargreaves signed with the Gators, was a three-time first-team All-SEC selection and first-team All-American in 2014 and 2015. The Buccaneers picked him with the 11th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and was selected to the All-Rookie Team. Hargreaves had four interceptions in 69 career NFL games.
No. 1 should have been ... Derrick Henry (Yulee RB)
Henry led Alabama to the national championship in 2015, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy, Doak Walker Award, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and was a unanimous All-American. He had 3,591 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns in three college seasons.
2014
247: Dalvin Cook (Miami Central RB)
Cook was a three-time All-ACC selection and two-time All-American — including a unanimous selection in 2016 — during his three seasons at Florida State. He was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft and has been a Pro Bowl selection the past four seasons.
Rivals: Travis Rudolph (Cardinal Newman WR)
Rudolph signed with Florida State, where he caught 18 touchdown passes in three seasons and was a second-team All-ACC pick in 2016. He went undrafted in 2017 and spent time with the Giants and Dolphins as well as teams in the CFL and XFL.
No. 1 should have been ... Cook
2015
247: Martez Ivey (Apopka OT)
Ivey was a Freshman All-SEC pick at Florida in 2015 and was a two-time second-team All-SEC selection. He went undrafted in 2019, spent time in the NFL and XFL and currently plays for the Edmonton Elks in the CFL.
Rivals: Byron Cowart (Armwood EDGE)
Cowart signed with Auburn, transferred to Hillsborough Community College and finished his college career at Maryland. Selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the edge rusher has also spent time with the Colts, Chiefs and Texans.
No. 1 should have been ... Lamar Jackson (Boynton Beach QB)
Jackson threw for 9,043 yards and 69 touchdowns and rushed for 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns in 38 career games at Louisville. He was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in 2016.
2016
247/Rivals: Shea Patterson (IMG QB)
Patterson started his career at Ole Miss, where he spent two seasons before transferring to Michigan. A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Patterson went undrafted in 2020, spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs as well as teams in the CFL and USFL.
No. 1 should have been ... Nick Bosa (St. Thomas Aquinas EDGE)
Bosa played just two full seasons at Ohio State, but totaled 77 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. He was a first-team All-Big Ten and first-team All-American in 2017.
2017
247/Rivals: Alex Leatherwood (Pensacola-Booker T. Washington OT)
Leatherwood had a storied career at Alabama, where was a three-time All-SEC pick, two-time national champion and Outland Trophy winner in 2020. The Raiders selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, was waived after his rookie year and signed with Bears.
No. 1 should have been ... Leatherwood
2018
247/Rivals: Xavier Thomas (IMG EDGE)
Thomas was a two-time third-team All-ACC selection and helped Clemson win the national championship in 2018. Thomas has suffered multiple injuries and currently is in his sixth year with the Tigers.
No. 1 should have been ... Patrick Surtain II (Plantation-American Heritage CB)
Surtain recorded 116 tackles, intercepted four passes and broke up 24 passes in 41 career games at Alabama. In 2020, he was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American selection.
2019
247/Rivals: Nolan Smith (IMG EDGE/OLB)
Smith helped Georgia win the national championship in 2021 and 2022. He was selected by the Eagles with the 30th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
No, 1 should have been ... Calijah Kancey (Miami Northwestern DL)
Smith was a fine player at Georgia and could be an outstanding pro, but it's hard to match the production of players such as Kancey or former Pine Forest star athlete Devon Witherspoon at Illinois. Kancey had 92 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in 37 games at Pitt. He was a two-time first-team All-ACC selection, 2022 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American in 2022.
2020
247: Gervon Dexter (Lake Wales)
![Florida Gators defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. (9) celebrates his interception that lead to a touchdown in the first half at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 10, 2022. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/nMF43U2qtphYTszf43.z9g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTg0NA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/palm-beach-daily-news/a203bf02bc7319fd55f81d5497d8fa3a)
Dexter played three seasons at Florida, totaling 135 career tackles and five sacks in 36 games. He also made history as the first SEC defensive lineman to sign an NIL deal. The Bears selected Dexter in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Rivals: Eli Ricks (IMG CB)
Ricks was a second-team All-SEC selection as a freshman at LSU and transferred to Alabama before the 2022 season. Ricks opted to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft and signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent.
No. 1 should have been ... Jalen Carter (Apopka DL)
Carter recorded 83 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 44 games at Georgia. He was a two-time All-SEC selection, unanimous All-American in 2022 and helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships.
2021
247: Leonard Taylor (Miami Palmetto DL)
Taylor has 45 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks in 21 career games for Miami. Taylor earned honorable mention on the All-ACC team in 2022.
Rivals: JC Latham (IMG)
Latham signed with Alabama and has played in 27 games, making 13 starts, in two seasons.
No. 1 should have been ... Raheim Sanders (Rockledge ATH)
Sanders has rushed for 2,021 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught 39 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns in 26 career games at Arkansas. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, earned All-SEC honors in 2022 and has been named to several preseason award watch lists.
2022
247: Shemar Stewart (Monsignor Pace EDGE)
Stewart was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection in 2022 when he had 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 12 games.
Rivals: Bear Alexander (IMG DL)
Alexander played 12 games for Georgia in 2022 and helped the Bulldogs win the national championship. He transferred to USC earlier this year.
USA Today Florida Network: Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Lakeland DL)
Dindy played one game for Texas A&M in 2022.
No. 1 should have been ... Too soon to say
2023
247/Rivals: Keon Keeley (Bekleley Prep EDGE)
Keeley signed with Alabama in December.
USA Today Florida Network: Cormani McClain (Lakeland CB)
McClain signed with Colorado in February.
No. 1 should have been ... Too soon to say
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida high school football: How top-ranked recruits fared the last 10 years
