The number of Florida Gators drafted was nine, more than any other university. Ohio State finished second with eight players chosen. However, just one of the 17 players selected from the two institutions, Reggie Nelson, has been in a Pro Bowl. 29 of the 40 underclassmen who entered the draft were chosen. $20 million was spent by the 32 teams on these players.
A total of 936 players were selected in this year's draft. The average salary of these men is $120,000.
The most successful player in Florida football history is probably Fred Biletnikoff, who was chosen in the sixth round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He played only three seasons in the NFL and had 51 catches for 810 yards and seven touchdowns. After his career ended, he went on to have a very successful coaching career, winning two Super Bowls as an assistant with the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The last Florida player picked in the draft was Taylor Mays. He was taken with the 15th pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Mays started 11 games at strong safety as a rookie and was named a first-team All-Pro. He was also voted into his first of two consecutive Pro Bowls.
In February 2009, during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, Mays announced that he would skip his final season at Florida and enter the NFL Draft.
The Florida Gators are one of the most legendary schools in college football, particularly during the BCS era. The Gators have three national titles, eight SEC crowns, and 42 first-round draft choices. The fact that the Gators have won 217 games since 1990, more than any other NCAA club, is perhaps most astounding. Florida plays its home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Florida's average attendance of 52,000 per game is the highest in the Southeastern Conference. The school's annual cost of attendance is more than $22,000, which makes it one of the most expensive colleges to attend in the country.
Gator football has been called "the greatest spectator sport in the world" by some sources. From the time they play their first game on August 30, 1966, until today, the Florida Gators have never lost a regular season game.
They're undefeated! The Gators beat Miami 38-7 in their opener before 93,844 fans at Shea Stadium. It was the largest crowd ever to see a college football game up to that point. Since then, they've gone 8-0-1 with two shutouts and have attracted larger crowds every year. In 2007, UF played before an official NFL stadium in Sun Life Stadium. The capacity was 65,000 but almost 100,000 people showed up for the game against Georgia.
The Florida Gators didn't look like themselves in their 55-20 defeat to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl, thanks to a mix of COVID-19-related absences and player opt-outs in preparation for the NFL draft. One of the biggest casualties was quarterback Jeff Driskel, who suffered an MCL sprain and will miss the rest of the season.
Driskel wasn't the only one sidelined, as five other starters on offense also sat out the game due to injury or personal reasons. Wide receivers Rick Wells and CJ Henderson both missed the game with hamstring injuries, while right tackle Jawaan Taylor was lost for the year after suffering a torn ACL. Center Tyler Jordan was the only starter on offense that played in the game, but he left early with a shoulder injury.
On defense, all four starting linemen and three of the four starting linebackers were out due to injury. Defensive end Jabari Zuniga and linebacker David Reese both left the game with knee injuries, while defensive tackle Taven Bryan and cornerback Jaylen Dorsey did not play due to unspecified violations of team rules.
Driscoll's absence was particularly damaging because he is one of only two quarterbacks on the roster who has experience running the spread offense. The other candidate, Austin Appleby, is coming off ankle surgery and isn't expected to be ready for fall camp.
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