Florida football: Three former Gators named to CFB Hall of Fame ballot
Three former Florida football standouts ― Alex Brown, Brad Culpepper and Percy Harvin ― were named on June 2 to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the 2026 class.
Harvin helped lead the Florida Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008 as a two-way rushing and receiving threat in head coach Urban Meyer's spread offense. In three seasons at UF, Harvin had 33 catches for 1,929 yards and 13 TDs, while rushing 194 times for 1,852 yards on 19 TDs. He went on to a seven-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.
Advertisement
Brown played at UF from 1998-2001 under Steve Spurrier, earning consensus All-American honors his final season at UF. A Japser native and former Hamilton High standout, Brown finished his four-year Florida career with 161 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and 33 sacks. He went on to an eight-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears (2002-09) and New Orleans Saints (2010).
Culpepper played at UF from 1988-91, finishing his career with 47.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries and 4 pass breakups.
In 1991, Culpepper captained the Gators to their first SEC Championship and led the defense with 50 tackles. Culpepper went on to a seven-year NFL career from 1993-2000 with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: CFB Hall of Fame ballot includes three former Florida football standouts
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
20 minutes ago
- USA Today
Nolan Smith explains how Brandon Graham won him over with some early leadership
Nolan Smith explains how Brandon Graham won him over with some early leadership Brandon Graham won Nolan Smith with some early advice, and the young Eagles star has hung onto that advice ever since. Sometimes, we all can benefit from someone we look up to putting their arm around us. If you disagree, don't worry. You'll learn that lesson at some point, and all of this will make more sense to you when it does. Lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan Kobe Bryant taught us that we all can benefit from adopting some 'Mamba Mentality'. A franchise legend, Brandon Graham, taught us another lesson. Flashing a smile or picking someone else up can be just as infectious. No one has ever spent all of their time around the man affectionately referred to as B.G. by the local media, teammates, and the NFL's most loyal fan base, so as years have gone by, we've paid attention to people who have been around him at various stages of his journey. The idea was to gather a more well-rounded picture by doing so. Who is Brandon Graham? What do the people who know him best say about him? Guess what we found out? He was never without a smile. He always had a kind word for everyone. Nolan Smith offers his favorite Brandon Graham story. Day five of Eagles OTAs wasn't much different than the first four. The organization is about its business. There may be a Super Bowl banner added to the practice bubble, but to a man, every Bird that talks about the recent Lombardi Trophy win has seemingly placed it in their rearview memory. Everyone says they have turned the page. Graham turned that page and decided he'd retire, and with his exit, Philadelphia loses a locker room leader and a valuable contributor both on and off the field. The future rests in the hands of guys like Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. Both are ready for expanded roles and the chance to prove their best football is still ahead of them. The routine is familiar. Coaches meet with the media before practice. Players speak with the media afterward. Following the June 3 session, Nolan was among the players who spoke at the podium. In an unexpected show of respect, he offered some perspective on one of the gifts given to him by Brandon Graham. Football is a unique game. There's a blend of cooperation and competition. The veterans who help these individuals become better players may also be the ones who will one day take their positions. Nolan Smith will never forget the impact Graham made on him. Two stories couldn't be more similar. The Eagles drafted Graham, a pass rusher, during the 2010 NFL Draft. 13 years later, they drafted another, the man who would eventually replace him. They're bonded by great personalities, slow starts to their career, similar pedigrees, but most importantly, they're bonded by brotherhood and friendship. Smith still talks to Graham every day, and that might be the best part about both of their stories. Might Nolan play in Philadelphia for 15 years? Time will tell, but deep down, it's easy to hope he will.


USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Oilers, Connor McDavid are sportsbook liabilities in the Stanley Cup Final
Oilers, Connor McDavid are sportsbook liabilities in the Stanley Cup Final Welcome to Prince's Picks, a collection of betting news, analysis and opinions from BetFTW senior writer Prince J. Grimes. As the Stanley Cup Final gets set to begin tonight, it may feel like everyone outside of Florida is pulling for Connor McDavid to finally win his first cup and cement his legacy as one of the greatest players ever. However, don't count the sportsbook among those pulling for McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. It's not simply that Edmonton is a slim favorite to win the series, with 54% of tickets at BetMGM and 59% of money on an Oilers victory. It's also that an Oilers win would likely strengthen McDavid's case to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which he's already a +100 favorite to win. Last week, McDavid was the second-biggest liability to win the award at BetMGM. With Mikko Rantanen now out of the race, the book is completely against McDavid -- though it doesn't want to see Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky (+250) win either. 'BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch," BetMGM senior trader Matthew Rasp said in an email. "The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season, and we hope anyone besides Connor McDavid or Sergei Bobrovsky wins the Conn Smythe trophy.' As we saw last year, a Florida win doesn't necessarily mean McDavid won't still win the Conn Smythe, but it does give someone like Bobrovsky or Aleksander Barkov (+500) a better chance considering the roles they'd likely play in a potential Panthers triumph. After those three, Leon Draisaitl (+700) and Matthew Tkachuk (+2500) have the next best odds for the award. Edmonton is a -130 favorite on the moneyline for Game 1. McDavid to score a goal is the most popular prop at BetMGM. Did someone say Panthers? From the Florida Panthers to the Carolina Panthers. Only one of these teams has been a championship contender recently, but what if I told you that's about to change in 2025? What if I told you the Carolina cats are about to rise back to prominence -- and make it to the Super Bowl? Are you belly laughing yet? Yeah, I'll admit the thought of it was pretty funny to me too, but one eerie, totally not coincidental trend does make a convincing argument -- if you're prone to root for the Panthers -- that maybe just maybe Bryce Young has a chance to do something special this year. This is from OVIES and GIGLIO: Anyone who believes this trend means anything should go ahead and throw a couple bucks on Carolina's +6000 odds at BetMGM to win the NFC -- then immediately check yourself into a hospital to get examined. Sorry to bust bubbles, but as much as I believe Carolina is finally headed in the right direction, no way is this a team ready to push for a Super Bowl in 2025. The Panthers' odds to simply make the playoffs are +300. Show improve this season, and we can revisit this conversation a year from now. World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker got underway last week, and while I don't have much to report on that front until the main event gets started next month, here's a video of players giving themselves odds to get you warmed up:


New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley says his retirement could come ‘out of nowhere'
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley's retirement from the league could come 'out of nowhere,' he told Chris Long on the podcast 'Green Light with Chris Long' on Wednesday. Long, a former Eagles defensive end, asked Barkley whether he wants to retire 'at the highest level' or if he imagines himself playing 'until the wheels fall off.' 'I'll probably just wake up one day, whether it's next year or two years or four years, and just be like, 'yeah, it's over,'' Barkley said. 'I don't think I will ever lose that passion. The competitive nature is always going to be there.' Full clip on Saquon's retirement — Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) June 4, 2025 'One day I'll probably be balling and just be like yeah, call it quits,' said Barkley, who EA Sports announced Monday will be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 26. It's noteworthy that Barkley references one of his heroes, Barry Sanders, in this conversation. Sanders retired suddenly at age 30, just days before the start of training camp. Sanders later released a statement that, in part, said his 'desire to exit the game is greater than my desire to remain in it.' Advertisement Barkley said he doesn't think he'll 'ever lose that passion' for the game, but he's a uniquely reflective player who draws his satisfaction from the impact he can have on the game. Call it legacy. Call it what you will. But Barkley's recent comments underline that he knows there will be one day when he'll know he's done all he can. Barkley has already accomplished plenty. He was the NFL's rookie of the year. He's a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro. In one year in Philadelphia, he won his first rushing title, broke Terrell Davis' full-season rushing record and won Super Bowl LIX. He'll be thinking about how much more he needs to accomplish before he's satisfied with his legacy. It's clear he doesn't have a firm timeline, but the mere beginning of this conversation will induce anxiety throughout the Eagles fan base. It certainly will be a topic reporters will focus on throughout this upcoming season. Barkley, comfortable in the spotlight, is inviting that discussion. The Sanders reference will serve as an unofficial expectation for a timeline. Barkley will turn 30 on Feb. 9, 2027. He just signed a contract extension through the 2028 season. Will he make it to age 31? Will this be his last contract? — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer