Untold Swamp Kings: What Happened To 15 Florida Gators Football Players After Urban Meyer Era

Several prominent NFL stars emerged from the celebrated era of Florida Gator football under the leadership of legendary coach Urban Meyer.

• Urban Meyer’s coaching style transformed the struggling Florida Gators into one of college football’s most successful teams, winning two national championships in 2006 and 2008.
•  The Netflix docuseries Untold: Swamp Kings provides unparalleled access to the locker room dynamics and mentality of the historic Florida Gators team, which produced several prominent NFL stars.
•  Tim Tebow, one of the most famous Florida University players ever, had a decorated college career but struggled to meet expectations in the NFL. He began a career in baseball and joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end in 2021.
• The Netflix docuseries Untold: Swamp Kings looks into the formidable Urban Meyer era of college football at Florida University. Meyer was the head coach of the Florida Gators from 2005 to 2010 and is largely responsible for turning the franchise around and transforming the organization into one of college football’s most ferocious and successful teams. During his tenure at Florida, Meyer would end up with a 65-15 win-loss record and lead the Gators to two of its three total national championships in 2006 and 2008. The Florida Gators have not appeared in a national championship game since.

  Urban Meyer introduced a uniquely demanding style of coaching that pushed his players to be the very best. He was responsible for selecting Florida Gators’ star Tim Tebow as his starting quarterback which ultimately drew masses of talented players to Florida University. The no-nonsense and ruthless tactics of Meyer’s coaching style helped revitalize a struggling organization in one of if not the most competitive league in all college football, the coveted Southeastern Conference (SEC). The compelling documentary series provides unparalleled access to the locker room dynamics and overall mentality of one of college football’s most historic teams which produced several prominent NFL stars.

  15 Major Wright

• Major Wright was a free safety on the Florida Gators between 2007 and 2009. He won one BCS National Championship at Florida after the 2008 season and entered the NFL Draft the following year. He was selected in the third round by the Chicago Bears, where he played from 2010 to 2013. Wright then spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before his playing career ended after the 2016 NFL season.

• 14 Dallas Baker

• Dallas Baker was a wide receiver for the Florida Gators between 2003 and 2006. Baker was part of the 2006 National Championship team at Florida under coach Urban Meyer. Baker entered the NFL Draft in 2007 and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round. He played three seasons for the Steelers before joining the Arena Football League in 2010 as a member of the Jacksonville Sharks. Baker is currently the wide receivers coach at Baylor University.

• 13 Chris Rainey

• Chris Rainey was a wide receiver for the Florida Gators between 2007 and 2011. Rainey was a member of the 2008 National Championship Florida team under Urban Meyer. Rainey entered the 2012 NFL Draft and was selected in the fifth round as the 159th overall pick. He was waived by the team in 2013 after being arrested on a battery charge involving a young woman. Rainey briefly played on the Indiana Colts in 2013 and was a member of the Arizona Cardinals practice squad before his NFL career ended in 2014.

• 12 Brandon James

• Brandon James played wide receiver for the Florida Gators from 2006 to 2009. James, a two-time All-American, was a member of both national titles under coach Urban Meyer. He was also a 100m and 200m sprinter on the Florida Gators track & field team. Despite his accolades at the collegiate level, James was not drafted into the NFL. He was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in 2010 and was briefly a member of the team’s active roster as a kick and punt returner. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since.

• 11 Tate Casey

• Tate Casey was a tight end for the Florida Gators between 2004 and 2008. Casey was a member of both the 2006 and 2008 National Championships under coach Urban Meyer. Casey did not play football professionally after his college career. He became a spine specialist who has worked in neurosurgery for over twelve years. He also works as a sideline analyst for the Florida Gators IMG Sports Network.

• 10 Reggie Nelson

• Reggie Nelson was a free safety for the Florida Gators in 2005 and 2006. The All-American was a significant member of the 2006 National Championship team and was named the Most Valuable Player in 2006 by his teammates. Nelson would go on to have a solid NFL career after getting drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007 as the 21st overall pick in the first round. Nelson played four seasons with the Jaguars, six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, and two seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He received two Pro Bowl selections in 2015 and 2016.

  9 Janoris Jenkins

  Janoris Jenkins was a cornerback for the Florida Gators from 2008 to 2010. He was a member of the 2008 National Championship team under coach Urban Meyer. Jenkins was kicked off the Gators after being arrested for possession of marijuana in 2011. He transferred to the University of North Alabama and was ultimately selected by the St. Louis Rams in the 2012 NFL Draft in the second round as the 39th overall pick. Jenkins played four seasons with the Rams before playing with the New York Giants from 2016 to 2019. Jenkins remains a free agent in 2023 after playing for three separate NFL teams, the Saints, Titans, and 49ers, between 2020 and 2022.

  8 Joe Haden

  Joe Haden played cornerback for the Florida Gators between 2007 and 2009. Haden was a member of the 2008 National Championship team under coach Urban Meyer. He was selected as the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, the team he would play on for eight seasons. Haden was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2013, 2014, and 2019. He played three seasons with the Steelers before retiring in 2022 as a Cleveland Brown on a one-day contract.

  7 Brandon Siler

  Brandon Siler was a linebacker for the Florida Gators between 2004 and 2006. He was a member of the 2006 National Championship team under coach Urban Meyer. Siler was selected by the San Diego Chargers as the 240th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He became an impactful part of their special teams defensive unit in 2008. Siler signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2011 but was sidelined due to an Achilles injury. He played in sixteen games in his final NFL season in 2012.

  6 Brandon Spikes

  Brandon Spikes was a two-time All-American linebacker for the Florida Gators between 2006 and 2009. He was a member of both National Championship teams under coach Urban Meyer. Spikes was selected as the 62nd overall pick in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He appeared and started in Super Bowl XLVI in which the Patriots lost to the Giants. Spikes signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2014 and played his final NFL season with them in 2016.

  5  Jordan Reed

  Jordan Reed was a tight end for the Florida Panthers between 2009 and 2012 after initially being recruited as a quarterback. Reed was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft as the 85th overall pick. Reed spent seven seasons with the Redskins, who rebranded as the Commanders in 2020, before signing with the 49ers in 2020. Reed suffered a slew of concussions that impacted his career and resulted in his retirement in 2021.

  4 Aaron Hernandez

  Aaron Hernandez played tight end for the Florida Gators from 2007 to 2009. Hernandez was a vital part of the offense for the 2008 National Championship team but was forced to enter the 2010 NFL Draft after his drug use at Florida ran rampant. He was selected in the fourth round as the 113th overall pick by the New England Patriots where he played three seasons alongside Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. In 2013, he was found guilty of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to life in prison. Hernandez died by suicide in 2017 in a Massachusetts prison.

  3 Percy Harvin

  Percy Harvin played wide receiver at Florida between 2006 and 2008 and was an essential part of both National Championship teams under Urban Meyer. Harvin was selected as the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings where he played for four seasons. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2009. Harvin was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 where he won a Super Bowl that same year. He then played one season for the Jets and two with the Bills before his retirement in 2017.

  2 Cam Newton

  Cam Newton is arguably the most successful NFL player to come out of the Urban Meyer era of Florida University football. Newton transferred from Florida in 2008 after he allegedly faced expulsion for academic dishonesty. He ended up leading Auburn University to their first National Championship in 53 years. He was selected as the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers after winning the Heisman Trophy. He was named the 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year and the NFL Most Valuable Player in 2015 after leasing the Panthers to an appearance in Super Bowl 50. Newton has played the majority of his career as a Panther with a brief stint on the Patriots in 2020.

  1 Tim Tebow

  Tim Tebow is one of the most famous football players in the history of Florida University. Tebow had an incredibly decorated college career as the quarterback of the Gators between 2006 and 2009. Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and is a two-time All-American and SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Tebow was selected as the 25th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

  Tebow’s two seasons on the Broncos were considered below expectations. He was traded to the Jets in 2012 but was released in 2013. After brief preseason stints on the Patriots and Eagles, Tebow played in the minor league affiliates of the New York Mets. He retired from baseball in 2021 and joined the Jaguars as a tight end under coach Urban Meyer. Tebow has also made contributions as a sports analyst and commentator for ESPN. His legacy as a Florida Gator is immortalized in Untold: Swamp Kings.