Thanks to the House vs. NCAA settlement, the NCAA is set to distribute $2.8 billion to athletes who competed in college between 2016 and 2024 and did not receive compensation through an NIL deal.
NIL became the way of the land in 2021, so most Florida Gators eligible for this back pay would have needed to play between 2016 and 2020.
It's with that in mind these are the five players for Florida who definitely deserve back pay for their time in Gainesville.
Kyle Trask would have won the Heisman if not for a thrown shoe
The single most influential player for the Gators during this time frame was the man who, prior to stepping on the field, most fans never expected anything from.
What's crazy to think about Trask is that he just resigned from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal worth $2.7 million.
In the modern NIL world, he would have easily dwarfed that amount in Gainesville had it been legal.
Kyle Pitts
His NFL career notwithstanding, Kyle Pitts was the trusty safety blanket for Trask, especially during the 2020 campaign.
In 2025, his contract is set to be $10.8 million, so it's doubtful he would have made that in NIL money. But there would have been a bidding war for sure for Pitts heading into 2020.
La'Mical Perine
His NFL career never really took off, and he bounced around quite a few teams, but La'Mical Perine was just a steady workhorse for the Gators between 2016 and 2019.
After 91 carries his freshman year, he had over 130 carries in each of his final three years and finished with 2,485 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns during his time as a Gator.
CJ Henderson
The third-highest Gator selected in the NFL Draft over the past decade, behind only Anthony Richardson and Pitts, CJ Henderson would have commanded a substantial sum heading into the 2019 campaign had NIL been legal.
Unfortunately, like Richardson and Pitts, his NFL career hasn't quite panned out just yet.
Jonathan Greenard
Jonathan Greenard would be an interesting case study, given he transferred to Florida for his senior year and then popped off for 9.5 sacks in 2019 and 15.5 tackles for a loss.
But if anyone on the defensive side is deserving of some back pay for their play, Greenard would be on that list.