Six best recruiting battles won by UGA over Florida throughout the years
UGA and Florida are not only rivals on the football field, but also in the world of recruiting. Both schools sign the top talent in the country. The two border states compete with one another for the nation’s elite players, so it is only natural that over the years, each roster would contain significant recruiting “wins” over the other program.
Ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the two schools, we take a look at six big recruiting battles UGA won over Florida.
UGA QB Aaron Murray (Tampa, Fla.)
High school rating: 5 star
Why: Florida was seen as the team to beat in Murray’s recruitment until he abruptly committed to UGA during his junior season. The following year, Murray came back two months after breaking his leg to lead his high school to a state title. He enrolled early at UGA. The former 5-star finished his UGA career as the school’s record holder in yards, completions, completion percentage, touchdowns and a bunch of other stat categories.
UGA TE Orson Charles (Tampa, Fla.)
High school rating: 4 star
Why: Charles was actually high school teammates with Murray at Plant High School in Tampa. Like Murray, Florida was thought to hold the edge in his recruitment. He will forever be known as the recruit who accidentally shattered the Gators’ national championship trophy when he bumped into it while he was on a visit. Fittingly, he never enrolled at Florida and instead chose to enroll at its rival. Perhaps he meant to break the trophy.
UGA DT Marcus Stroud (Quitman, Ga.)
High school rating: N/A
Why: Stroud was verbally committed to Florida all the way up until his National Signing Day ceremony. That’s when he shocked everyone by announcing that he would sign with UGA. Before Stroud signed with UGA, Florida had the Bulldogs’ number, winning six straight over the program. But after his last-minute switcheroo, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and helped lead the Bulldogs in ending their losing streak. Stroud went on to become a three-time Pro Bowler and a first-round NFL draft pick.
UGA RB Robert Edwards (Sandersville, Ga.)
High school rating: N/A
Why: Edwards took an official visit to Florida and met with Coach Steve Spurrier, and the trip went haywire. Spurrier tried to get him to commit on the spot, threatened that if he walked out without accepting the offer, the scholarship wouldn’t be there for him and the offense just wasn’t a fit for him. A week later, UGA entered the picture and the rest was history. When he decided to commit to UGA, his UF offer reappeared. It was too late. He was a Dawg. Edwards went on to score four touchdowns in UGA’s 37-17 win in 1997.
UGA DT Jeff Owens (Sunrise, Fla.)
High school rating: 4 star
Why: Owens’ father wanted him to stay in Florida and play for the Gators, but he went against his father’s wishes and signed with UGA. He did take an official visit to Florida, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in-state. Owens went on to first-team All-SEC honors in 2005 and went on to be selected in the 7th round of the NFL draft.
UGA WR Fred Gibson (Waycross, Ga.)
High school rating: 4 star
Why: Do you want to know how close Gibson was to not attending UGA? On the day he announced his commitment, he flipped a coin. The coin landed on tails, which meant that he was choosing the Bulldogs. Seriously. Gibson made his college decision by flipping a coin. He ended up being one of the school’s best receivers. Florida fans can only wonder what could have happened if luck was on their side that morning he flipped a coin.
Remember former #Jaguars DT @marcusstroud99 on @SInow's cover? (via @ChrisBurke_SI) http://t.co/g60wMaKQYs pic.twitter.com/DCuanZIuwj
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) February 4, 2015
