Which positions produce the most talent for Florida football?
Florida football has a storied history of putting players in the NFL dating back decades and at times have been major producers at certain positions over the years.
For instance, the 1980s saw the Gators land an entire cohort of running backs into the league headlined by Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. Then in the following decade, Steve Spurrier brought in the fun-and-gun offense that produced the program’s second Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback — though the signal-callers from that decade consistently floundered at the top level.
Then there was a stretch starting in the Urban Meyer era that lastest into the following decade when Gainesville was ground zero for Defensive Back University. Those days are now in the distant past so, where does the Orange and Blue stand now?
ESPN’s David M. Hale recently took a look at which schools currently produce the most talent in his Position U overview. The Gators were mentioned at three positions, though they did not earn the top spot in any.
At quarterback, Florida falls short despite ruling the recruiting trail under center.
No team has scored more quality QB recruits since 2006 than Florida, which has inked 16 quarterbacks with a recruiting grade of 80-plus, according to ESPN. Still, the Gators rank 11th on our QBU list, falling out of the top 10 for the first time this year.
Meanwhile, the Gators made the top five in the Tight End University category, earning a No. 4 spot and the top perch in the SEC. They were beaten by the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes, followed by the Iowa Hawkeyes and Stanford Cardinals, respectively.
The other position UF got a mention for was at defensive back, where it had once ruled the field. Instead, the Gators are — once again — No. 4 behind the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, respectively. The SEC obviously is a hotbed for DB talent.
While Florida does not hold the top spot at any of the positions, the two top-five mentions as well as its success on the recruiting trail when it comes to quarterbacks is something for the Gator Nation to be proud of.
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