2006 - JaMarcus Russell - LSU
Florida's 2006 season is obviously best remembered for the beat down of Ohio State to win the national title. Sometimes lost in the shuffle are just how many close games the Gators had to survive that year, including wins over Tennessee, Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and FSU which were all seven points or less.
It's with that in mind that it's a bit ironic that one of Florida's easy games that year came against the eventual number one pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Florida beat LSU 23-10 and JaMarcus Russell was held to 24-41 passing for 228 yards. He had three interceptions to go against just one touchdown.
Russell would go on to flame out of the NFL after just three seasons and recently has been charged with stealing $74,000 from the high school football team he was helping coach.
Former No. 1 NFL draft pick JaMarcus Russell was fired as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Williamson High School in Mobile, AL, and is facing a lawsuit accusing him of taking a $74,000 check meant as a donation to the school. https://t.co/TNONWnoHv7
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 29, 2024
1996, 1997, 1998 - Tim Couch - Kentucky
Once upon a time, beating Kentucky in football was automatic. Even when the Wildcats had a hint of talent in the 90s, they were still no match for the Gators.
Tim Couch had three cracks at the Gators and the closest he was able to come was a 51-35 defeat during the 1998 season. It was a better effort than the 65-0 defeat Florida handed them during Couch's first attempt at beating the Gators.
Couch would go on to be the first pick of the 1999 draft when the Cleveland Browns relaunched as an "expansion team." Like Russell, his NFL career was short-lived as he only made it as a member of the main roster for four seasons.