Florida Gators football hands out prestigious No. 1 jerseys for first time since 2015

By Adam Silverstein
July 8, 2019
Florida Gators football hands out prestigious No. 1 jerseys for first time since 2015
Football

Image Credit: @GatorsFB / Twitter

Receiving the No. 1 jersey in orange and blue is a major honor for a Florida Gators player, and for the first time since 2015, fans will see that famed jersey on the field and on he sidelines throughout the 2019 season. In fact, fans will see it plenty because head coach Dan Mullen has decided to hand it out to not one but two players.

Juniors cornerback C.J. Henderson and wide receiver Kadarius Toney will both wear No. 1 this season. Henderson will sport the jersey on defense, while Toney will don it on offense and likely special teams as well.

“You’ve gotta be a baller to be No. 1,” Mullen told OnlyGators.com on May 8, 2018, ahead of a speaking engagement. “I don’t know if I have anybody at No. 1 just yet. I don’t know if anybody’s done enough.”

The coach also joked that day that deciding uniform numbers was the toughest part of his job. Ultimately, no one was awarded the No. 1 jersey during Mullen’s first season. And no Florida player has worn it since Vernon Hargreaves III graduated following the 2015 season.

Henderson getting the nod makes plenty of sense. He’s one of the top cornerbacks in the country and a playmaking defender who should star for the Gators this season. That’s not to say Toney has bee unable to make an impact, it’s just that it has been minimal. Though he has averaged 10.3 yards per rush and reception, he’s only picked up 772 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns in two games over his first two seasons. Perhaps Mullen is hinting that 2019 will be a breakout campaign for the third-year playmaker.

Here are all the Florida football players to wear the prestigious No. 1 jersey along with the years in which they wore it.

Vernon Hargreaves, III (2013-15)
Jon Bostic (2012)
Quinton Dunbar (2012-14)
Chris Rainey (2011)
Janoris Jenkins (2009-10)
Percy Harvin (2007-08)
Reggie Nelson (2006)
Michael McIntosh (2004-05)
Keiwan Ratliff (2000-03)
Jabar Gaffney (1999)
Tony George (1995-98)
Jack Jackson (1991-94)
G.A. Magnus (1991)
Terence Barber (1990)
Kyle Morris (1988, 1989)
Ed Frazier (1986, 1987)
Clifton Reynolds (1985)
Victor Bradley (1982)
Dale Dorminey (1981, 1983)
Don Van Wie (1979, 1980)
Berj Yepremian (1976-78)
Wayne Fields (1974-75)
Jack Card (1965-67)

2 Comments

Join The
Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top
WordPress Appliance - Powered by TurnKey Linux