Eight Florida football players the rivals loved to hate the most

We here at Hail Florida Hail love to celebrate the great players in Florida football history. However, not everyone nationwide shares the same love for the Florida Gators. After all, for the Gators to win, it requires the other team to lose.

So we racked our brains and have come up with eight players in particular that seem to draw the ire of opposing fanbases the most.

Florida Football Most Hated No. 8: Major Wright

Over the last couple of years, Twitter has seemed to rediscover one of the fiercest safeties ever to roam the field for the Florida Gators. Major Wright’s hit against Oklahoma in the first quarter of the BCS championship game set the tone of physicality for which the Sooners were unprepared.

Imagine being an Oklahoma fan, going about your day, and being reminded about one of your most soul-crushing losses in program history from the viral clip of the game.

And while everyone remembers the hit, Wright balled out the entire game. He picked off a pass on the goal line in the first half and finished the game with nine tackles.

Florida Football Most Hated No. 7: Jack Youngblood

Once upon a time, QBs legit had to fear for their life because there were no protections for them from people like Jack Youngblood.

Opposing fans had no choice but to watch Youngblood make child’s play of opposing backfields as he racked up 29 sacks during his time with Florida, including five sacks alone during the 1969 contest against Florida State.

He also forced a fumble against Georgia on the goal line in 1970 that helped spark a comeback for the Gators.

If Youngblood had played in the color TV era, his name would be the cause of even more nightmares among rival college football fans.

Florida Football Most Hated No. 6: Cris Collinsworth

Speaking of color TV, here’s a guy…

Collinsworth time with the Florida Gators always seems to be an afterthought, yet one could argue he had a pivotal role in keeping Florida afloat heading into the 1980s. Following the disastrous 1979 season that saw Florida go winless, Collinsworth led Florida to an 8-4 season in 1980 and was a first-team All-American.

It had to be awkward for all those fans expecting an easy win in 1980, only to turn to their buddies and say, “Now here’s a guy we counted out.”

Of course, most of the hate Collinsworth gets these days isn’t from his time in Florida. It has something to do with being on TV telling us, “Here’s a guy.”

Florida Football Most Hated No. 5: Jesse Palmer

Maybe it’s because he’s Canadian, but like Collinsworth, Jesse Palmer is probably more noted for his time off the field than on it.

During his four seasons with the Gators, Palmer started the 1998 season as the starter before a broken clavicle ended his campaign. He also saw mainstay action in 2000, starting five games.

But where Palmer has drawn the ire of opposing fans is his post-football endeavors. In 2004 he appeared on The Bachelor and screwed up the first rose ceremony, calling out the wrong name he intended to give a rose.

Ask your girlfriend/wife; it mattered.

He currently works as an analyst for SEC Network, a host for The Bachelor, and a spokesperson for Rooms to Go.

“Hey honey, why did you buy that couch from Rooms to Go?”

“Jesse Palmer said to.”

Florida Football Most Hated No. 4: Ike Hilliard

If you want to trigger your FSU friends, show a clip of Ike Hilliard from the 1997 Sugar Bowl.

Then wonder why they won’t text you back anymore.

Playing alongside Reidel Anthony at wide receiver, the duo was at the core of the famous “Fun n’ Gun” offense that opponents had no idea how to stop.

Hilliard is forever engrained in FSU fans’ minds after his famed “Stop and pop” touchdown.

Florida Football Most Hated No. 3: Steve Spurrier

Like a couple of others on this list, Steve Spurrier probably isn’t hated due to his time as a player. While he is a former Heisman Trophy winner, opposing fanbases don’t curse his name because of his QB play.

Spurrier has famous quotes such as:

• “You can’t spell ‘Citrus’ without ‘UT”
•  “I know why Peyton came back for his senior year: he wanted to be a three-time Citrus Bowl MVP!”
• “Free Shoes University”
• “Will be the 14th time I’ve coached in Neyland Stadium. I’ve coached there more than some of their head coaches.”
• “The real tragedy was that 15 (books) hadn’t been colored yet.”

He brought passing to the SEC and didn’t care if he ran up the score on you. He is forever endeared in the hearts of Florida football fans because he made you feel like he was always going to have your back as a fan.

Florida Football Most Hated No. 2: Tim Tebow

Where Spurrier is hated for his zingers, Tim Tebow is hated because he played the role of “Nice guy that is going to destroy you” perfectly. It’s hard to find an opposing SEC fanbase with fond memories of Tebow.

His iconic speech following the 2008 loss to Ole Miss is simply fodder for fan bases that can’t stand that Florida pulled it together that season.

Tebow is the icon of the program and when you ask opposing fans about Florida football, they will say, “jorts and Tebow.”

There is an alternate universe where he winds up at Alabama and becomes the most hated former player among Florida fans.

But as it is he was with the good guys and it’s hard to think of anyone more hated than Tim Tebow…

Florida Football Most Hated No.1: Aaron Hernandez

So perhaps this might be the rare case where the most hated player from Florida among opposing fanbases might also be the most hated player among Florida fans as well.

As a player with the Gators, Hernandez was as vital to the team’s success in 2009 as anyone, racking up 850 yards receiving as a tight end.

But as we know, he was guilty of the murder of Odin Lloyd in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison. While navigating further legal troubles in connection with another double homicide, Hernandez died by suicide in 2017.