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Reliving Percy Harvin’s Career as a Florida Gator
From the likes of Tim Tebow, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Louis Murphy, Dallas Baker, and Andre Caldwell along with Ahmad Black, Major Wright, Joe Haden, Brandon Spikes, Derrick Harvey, and many more, talent littered the field for the Florida Gators in the mid-2000s.
A plethora of options for the Gators—offensively and defensively—to work with, resulting in an unprecedented run in the history of Gator football.
However, despite the amount of playmaking ability from the group listed above and other greats from Florida’s illustrious history, none were as electric as the most talented weapon ever to suit up in the orange and blue, Percy Harvin.
Commitment Day
January 1, 2006: Harvin Chooses Florida
Ranked as the number two overall prospect and number one wide receiver in the class of 2006 out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Harvin would choose to attend the University of Florida and continue his playing career under Urban Meyer from 2006-2008.
As a five-star recruit coming out of Landstown High School, Harvin brought attention to himself with speed, acceleration, and elusiveness in the open field.
Standing at 5-11, 190 lbs., Harvin was relatively undersized but his talent and athleticism were too much to ignore.
An extremely versatile presence who was a threat to take it the distance whenever the ball was in his hands, Harvin would be used in a variety of different ways and bring a high level of production in all facets of the game he was involved in.
Mixing the skill sets of running back and wide receiver, Harvin was and is still regarded as a generational talent. With elite vision running the ball and strong hands to secure any pass thrown his way, the do-it-all athlete would burst onto the scene with an immediate impact in Gainesville.
Freshman Year: 2006
Season stats: 75 touches, 855 yards, 11.4 yards per touch, & five touchdowns
Emerging onto the scene with high expectations, Harvin would be eased into his career as a Gator, but not the way you would think.
Playing from day one against Southern Mississippi, Harvin made a name for himself by showing a propensity to gain big yardage whenever the ball touched his hands and led the Gators in rushing on day one.
In his first season on campus, Harvin played in the most games of his career at 13—only missing action against Alabama—and started to truly shine late in the year.
Despite a light workload throughout the regular season, Harvin would put up gaudy average yards per touch numbers in both the rushing (8.2 yards) and receiving (15.3 yards) game leading up to the regular-season finale.
In that finale, he would turn up the average yards per touch even more as the Gators eyed a National Championship opportunity.
November 25, 2006 @ Florida State
Stats from scrimmage: Four carries, 86 yards, 21.5 yards per carry, & a rushing touchdown
After what seemed to be a quiet start to his career in terms of the number of touches and scoring, Harvin showed off his explosiveness against in-state rival Florida State on the way to a narrow victory in Tallahassee.
Despite not seeing the ball through the air, Harvin was able to do the most with the four touches he got on the ground.
Accounting for 21.5 yards per carry, Harvin would put the Gators up 14-0 on the Seminoles just before halftime with a 41 yard run up the sideline off a direct snap.
After the Seminoles clawed their way back into the game in the second half, Chris Leak would hit Dallas Baker in the back of the end zone in the 4th quarter from the 36-yard line to seal the deal on the game, 21-14.
This victory set up a date with the SEC West winning Arkansas Razorbacks with the chance to secure an opportunity to appear in the national championship.
SEC Championship: December 2, 2006 vs. Arkansas
Stats from scrimmage: 11 touches, 167 yards, 15.1 yards per touch, & two touchdowns
Putting together his second big game in a row, Harvin was the X-Factor in what was Florida’s biggest game of the season to that point.
With only a field goal difference heading into the fourth quarter, the electric freshman would do what he does best. Getting the handoff from Chris Leak on a counter, Harvin would plant his foot in the ground and burst upfield, outrunning the Arkansas defense to the end zone on a 67-yard carry that pushed the Gator lead to ten, and ultimately put the game out of reach on a play that gave him the nickname "Mercy Percy."
Securing 167 yards from scrimmage—just over 15 yards per touch—and two touchdowns, Harvin would be awarded MVP of this game for his contribution in the 38-28 Gators win.
In doing so, Florida solidified a National Championship berth for the first time since winning it all in 1996.
With an explosive performance from the freshman, Harvin’s career as a Gator was just getting started.
National Championship: January 8, 2007 vs. Ohio State
Stats from scrimmage: 14 touches, 88 yards, & one rushing touchdown
In a game that had the Gators as a massive underdog to Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and the Ohio State Buckeyes, Harvin displayed his talents on the biggest stage of them all.
Accounting for 60 yards on nine receptions from quarterback Chris Leak, Harvin would lead the Gators air attack en route to their 41-14 victory.
Opening up the offensive attack early on with a few modest gains of eight and five, Harvin was able to get what was a sputtering Gator offense during the regular season going with a score early on.
A touchdown late in the first quarter to take a 14-7 lead on the No. 1 team in the nation would lead to the No. 2 ranked Gators slaughtering of the Ohio State Buckeyes in Glendale, Arizona as they would be crowned the champions of college football.
Sophomore Season: 2007
Season stats: 142 touches, 1,622 yards, 11.4 yards per touch, & ten touchdowns
Following a successful freshman campaign, Harvin continued his dominance despite playing in a career-low 11 games.
Earning the prestigious No. 1 jersey after Reggie Nelson moved onto the NFL, Harvin had high expectations entering 2007.
In a year that saw Tim Tebow take over at the helm for Chris Leak and post a somewhat disappointing 9-4 record, Harvin would turn up the production and have a say in nearly every game that the team won in the regular season.
Being such a crucial part of the Gators’ offensive success—a unit that would lead the league in total offense—and aiding in Tebow to a Heisman trophy, Harvin would score in seven of Florida’s eight regular-season wins. In addition, he would be held scoreless in all three regular-season losses to Auburn, LSU, and Georgia.
After being eased into the game plan early on as a freshman before coming alive late in the season, the story was much different in 2007. Being involved early and often, Harvin would see his most productive year.
Seeing the ball just over 12 times per game in a variety of different ways, his utilization skyrocketed in year two, and so would his yardage. Reaching 147 all-purpose yards per game, Harvin eclipsed the 100-yard mark in seven of eleven games he played in.
Turning it up in nearly every statistical category including touches, yards, and touchdowns, Harvin would put together a successful sophomore campaign despite being troubled with injuries throughout the season.
November 3, 2007 vs. Vanderbilt
Stats from scrimmage: 20 touches, 223 yards, 11.5 yards per touch, & two rushing touchdowns
In an attempt to rebound from three losses in four games, the Gators returned home to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in a must-win game to salvage what was left of their season.
They would do just that on the back of Harvin.
On the way to a 49-22 victory in The Swamp, Harvin had a career day for the Gators.
Totaling over 100 yards rushing and receiving, he would become the first-ever Gator to surpass the 100-yard mark in both categories in the same game and added two touchdowns on top of that.
November 24, 2007 vs. Florida State
Stats from scrimmage: 21 touches, 224 total yards, & one rushing touchdown
Picking up where he left off versus Florida State, Harvin once again put on a show against the Seminoles for the Gators’ fourth straight victory in the historic rivalry.
Accounting for over 200 yards on 21 total touches in a game where the Gators put over 540 total yards on the board, Harvin played a significant role in the 45-12 massacre, putting the icing on the cake with a 24-yard rushing score with only 3 minutes remaining in the game.
With superb vision and elusiveness on his way to the end zone on Harvin’s last touch of the 2007 regular season, he displayed the very talent that made him such a threat throughout the entire season.
January 1, 2008 vs. Michigan
Stats from scrimmage: 22 touches, 242 yards, & two touchdowns
On a disappointing day for the Gators to cap off a disappointing season, Harvin did his part to help the Gators stay in this game until the very end. Once again, Harvin showed his worth at 12.7 yards per carry.
The Gators would ultimately lose to the Wolverines 41-35 and end the season at 9-4 on the year.
In a year that was expected to be a huge one for Harvin, oh boy, was it.
Capping off his individual season with his best performance on the year in terms of yardage, Harvin would set up his final season with even higher expectations.
Junior Season: 2008
Season stats: 110 touches, 1,304 yards, 11.9 yards per touch, & 17 touchdowns
Entering his third and final season as the number one option in the Gators offense, Harvin was geared up for another big year.
As Florida attempted to bounce back from a rather disappointing year in Tebow’s second year as the starter, Harvin would need to be at the top of his game to open up the offense that saw a steep turnover at skill positions from 2007.
He would once again step up to the challenge.
As the Gator offense would lead the nation in total offense for the second straight season, Harvin played a massive role in every aspect of the game—especially the points scored category.
Finding the end zone a whopping 17 times in 2008, Harvin surpassed his total from the first two seasons combined and provided the Gators a much-needed go-to target in all situations of the game.
As that guy, Harvin averaged just over one touchdown in games that he played in and never went a game without scoring in his final collegiate year.
Eyeing the ultimate prize of National Champion yet again, the Gators were focused on getting back to the game they had won just two seasons ago.
September 27, 2008 vs. Ole Miss
Stats from scrimmage: 23 touches, 268 yards, two touchdowns
On a day in Gator history that will forever live in infamy given the events that immediately followed with Tebow’s promise, Harvin had another spectacular outing against the Rebels.
Being a significant focal point in the Gators offense on a day that the unit struggled, Harvin once again was a bright spot.
Leading the team in both rushing and receiving on the day, Harvin posted 13 receptions for 186 yards on top of 82 yards on ten carries and two touchdowns in the Gators loss, including a late touchdown in what seemed to be the game-tying score.
However, Ole Miss ended up blocking the extra point and walking away from Gainesville with a victory that would kickstart the Gators for the rest of the season.
From that point on, you would “never see a team play harder than [they would] for the rest of the season.”
January 8, 2009 vs. Oklahoma
Stats from scrimmage: 14 touches, 171 yards, & one rushing touchdown
After rolling through the rest of the competition that remained on their schedule, the Gators would once again find themselves in the National Championship game.
In the second National Championship appearance of his collegiate career, Harvin showed out on the biggest stage of them all despite a fractured bone in his foot.
Scoring a touchdown to put the Gators up 14-7 in the third quarter, along with accounting for 121 yards on the ground as the Gators leading rusher, Harvin would prove huge in this game.
Bursting through the line for a 52-yard gain in the 4th quarter to set the Gators up with a go-ahead field goal opportunity, Harvin delivered in a big way. Not only were the Gators in business with a chance to win the game, but momentum had shifted entirely from a resilient Oklahoma team.
The Gators would knock through the field goal and take the lead 17-14 before scoring again to win the game 24-14.
The guy who’s career had been built upon exhilarating plays in big moments, added more to the collection on that night in Miami to aid the Gators to another national title.
Harvin capped off his final game at Florida with yet another career day as the Gators would take down Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and the Oklahoma Sooners for their second BCS National Championship Trophy in three years.
Career after Florida
Career stats: 327 touches, 3,781 yards, 11.5 yards per carry, & 32 touchdowns
Wrapping up his career in just three years, Harvin would put up numbers that have not been replicated since his departure.
Throughout his career at Florida, Harvin solidified himself as one of the most dangerous threats in college football—doing so with his one cut and go ability, explosive acceleration, and incredible elusiveness mixed with pure speed.
He carried those traits into the NFL.
After being drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, Harvin had success very early on. During his time in the NFL, he won Rookie of the Year as a wide receiver, was selected to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro in his first season, and was crowned a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.
Harvin showed flashes of excellence throughout his NFL career, including a kick return to touchdown to start the second half of Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks. However, lingering injuries plagued him from ever reaching his full potential.
No matter the outcome of his NFL career, his impact on Florida will forever be remembered by many.
From his effortless play style, a plethora of highlight-reel film, or pure captivation of a nation, his name will forever live in Florida history.
“Mercy Percy!”
