How Vernell Brown III And Bryce Thornton Earned the Gators' No. 1 Jersey

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Historically, the Florida Gators' No.1 jersey has been earned, not given.

A jersey number represented by Florida stars such as Percy Harvin, Kadarius Toney and Jack Jackson on offense as well as Vernon Hargreaves III, Keiwan Ratliff and Reggie Nelson on defense, amongst many others - it once meant something to earn the right to run out onto the painted grass in the Swamp with the No. 1 on your back.

Under Jon Sumrall, earning the right to wear the jersey has returned, with true sophomore wide receiver Vernell Brown III and fourth-year defensive back Bryce Thornton now becoming just the 32nd and 33rd players to dawn the number in the Orange and Blue heading into 2026.

“I'm not going to put a guy in 1 if he's not a good player, and he’s not doing things the right way from a leadership standpoint,” Sumrall said after the first day of spring practice. “... I got respect for this place and who's worn that jersey number. I've done my research. It’s not like dish it out and go, ‘Who else has, I guess nobody else has ever worn it.’ There’s been really good players to wear No. 1 here.”

Vernell Brown III → 1️⃣ 🐊 @VB3_9 | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/SRVZo9lxSA
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) March 2, 2026

Though both Thornton, a long-time starter with the Gators who has played over 1,400 career snaps, and Brown III, a legacy who broke onto the scene at Florida with a 511-yard freshman campaign, enter 2026 as highly respected players on the Gators roster, both’s request for the jersey was met with the same response: prove that you deserve it.

The two would do just that, establishing themselves as leaders inside a locker room with over 50 new faces and an almost entirely new staff.

“Bryce requested it back in December, January, like when I was getting the job. I was like, ‘Look, I'll watch you work for a couple months and I’ll decide whether you get to wear that jersey or not.’ Like, work,” Sumrall said. “VB requested it, and I was probably going to give it to him. I was like, same type of deal, ‘I’m going to watch you work.’ And he was originally going to stay at 8. Then he said, ‘Coach, could I have 1’ last week. Again, kind of went back and forth on it. I said yeah because he's had not a good but a great offseason. Both those guys had really good offseasons.”

Bryce Thornton → 1️⃣ 🐊 @Brycethornton_2 | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/JO7N1ZXRfd
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) March 2, 2026

For the second-year Brown III specifically, the switch represents the unique maturity the new regime continues to rave about as a younger player. Despite being just a year removed from high school, the talented receiver has set an example for the type of culture Sumrall and staff hopes to establish.

“VBIII was the very first player to really start being a vocal leader, and you could tell that he's been here. He's been through it. He wants improvement,"strength and conditioning coach Rusty Whitt said on such leadership. “... It's just a different level of maturity that you hope everybody can strive towards.”

The number change has brought even heavier expectations for the explosive playmaker, with his transition from eight to one creating more comparisons to maybe the best Gator to ever wear either number: Harvin. Like Brown III, Harvin made the switch from eight to one heading into his sophomore season in Gainesville, recording back to back 1,300-total-yard-plus campaigns in the new number and leaving the university as one of the best players to ever wear a Gators logo.

At his best, Brown III brings a similar ability to the legendary Harvin, with the heavy comparisons founded on both’s explosive athleticism and skill with the ball in their hands.

Growing up watching the former number one, new Gators receivers coach Marcus Davis seems excited about the current one and his potential to live up to such large expectations.

“Yes, sir. Yes, sir,” Davis told Florida Gators on SI with a smile when asked if he sees some similarities between Brown and Harvin.

Both Thornton and Brown III still have ways to go to establish their own legacies in the jersey, yet earning the right to continue on the legacy the jersey holds on its own at the University is more proof of the duo’s leadership and drive for success at Florida in the new year.

“I expect both those guys to be good players. Just as importantly, I expect those guys to be great leaders," Sumrall said. "And you're not going to get that jersey number here without probably being an explosive playmaker on offense and without being a consistent, steady leader on defense."