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Florida football was ranked 4th in DBU rankings by ESPN…that’s wrong

By Will Thomas

GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 30: Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III #1 of the Florida Gators during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 30, 2013 in Gainesville, Florida. 2nd Ranked Florida State defeated Florida 37-7. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 30: Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III #1 of the Florida Gators during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 30, 2013 in Gainesville, Florida. 2nd Ranked Florida State defeated Florida 37-7. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Florida football has a long tradition of great football teams, and generational talent. Just because the Gators have had a few down years in the past, it doesn’t mean they aren’t a CFB blue blood.

One thing that the Gators and their fans pride themselves on is being DBU, or “defensive back university”. This means that the best corners and safeties in the country put on the Orange and Blue.

Despite all the evidence that points to UF indeed being DBU, ESPN doesn’t agree.

They recently compiled a “Position U” list, where they ranked the top 5 schools for every position. You can read the whole list here.

On it, UF was ranked 4th in the DBU column. That isn’t right.

The top 5 DBUs went as follows: Ohio St, LSU,  Alabama, Florida, Miami. (It just means more)

It is worth noting the list has enough credibility to rank UF ahead of both Miami and FSU.

Don’t get me wrong, all of those schools have had some incredible secondary players in their history. But to disrespect the Gators with the 4th spot on that list is just rude and wrong.

Let’s go back to the 2008 championship team. That was debatably the best college secondary of all time. Joe Haden, Ahmad Black, Major Wright, Janoris Jenkins. What in the world do you do in the air against that squad.

Major Wright also gave us perhaps the greatest Gator hit of all time.

And what about Matt Elam? He flew around taking guys heads off, and owns real estate wherever Odell Beckham Jr. ends up.

We can’t forget about Vernon Hargreaves III. Or Keiwan Ratliff. Or Lito Sheppard. Or Teez Tabor. Or CJ Henderson. Or…

You get the picture.

I could go on and on just listing the great DBs who have played for UF, and by the time I finished the list we’d have even more guys who just finished their careers in Gainesville that deserve to be on it.

The biggest argument against UF being DBU is that their guys don’t always pan out in the NFL. And admittedly, that’s true. As great as these guys are during their time in Gainesville, only a select few thrive at the next level.

But isn’t that true for the entire sport of football?

Not to mention that DBU stands for defensive back UNIVERSITY. It’s not DBITNFL. (DBs in the NFL). It’s U. It’s about how these guys play in college.

When you look exclusively at the college ranks, there’s nobody else who has had the consistency and domination that UF’s secondary has had. It really isn’t close.

Sure, other schools have had individual guys who are some of the greatest of all time, like Sean Taylor at Miami and Tyrann Mathieu at LSU. But its a team sport and a team unit.

The Gators blow all those other schools out of the water. UF is the true DBU.

Keep up with Florida football here.

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