By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Those who were hoping for a Florida vs. Texas showdown for the national championship on Thursday got their wish … sort of.
While the Florida Gators downed the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 to collect their second BCS National Championship in three years, the game was also a testament to the talent that exists in the state of Florida and the state of Texas.
The Gators had 84 homegrown players from the Sunshine State, led by quarterback Tim Tebow, who was home schooled but played for Nease High School in the Jacksonville area.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, has 30 in-state players on its roster, but the majority of the Sooner roster comes from Texas. Coach Bob Stoops has a total of 43 Texans on his roster, although none of those players are from Austin, the home of the Texas Longhorns.
While Tebow had a big hand in willing the Gators to victory, several other Florida players played a big role in deciding the outcome. Ironically, none of them played their high school football in Florida.
Tebow finished the game with 231 yards passing (18 of 30) with two touchdowns and he also rushed 22 times for 109 yards. His high school career has been well-chronicled. He graduated as one of the most decorated players in Florida state history as a two-time state player of the year with a state championship his senior season. He threw for 9,810 yards and 95 touchdowns and ran for 3,186 yards and 62 scores.
Percy Harvin also had a big impact on the game, however, with nine carries for 122 yards. A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Harvin led Landstown High School to a 14-0 record and the Virginia AAA championship as a junior and a 13-1 record with a runner-up finish as a senior. Harvin also appeared in the state finals as a sophomore; so in his last seven seasons on the gridiron, Harvin has played in five state or national championship games.
Gator tight end Aaron Hernandez also played a role in the Gator win with his carries on the option pass from Tebow. Hernandez caught five passes for 57 yards including a long of 21. Hernandez also played his high school football up north, hailing from Bristol Central High School in Bristol, Conn. A 2007 graduate, Hernandez was a force for the Rams, catching 129 passes for 3,153 yards and 40 touchdowns in his final two seasons.
David Nelson, meanwhile, caught the clinching touchdown in the final minutes to give Florida the 10-point lead. A redshirt sophomore, Nelson had only nine catches for 111 yards in his career before coming up with the big catch against Oklahoma. Ironically, Nelson is from Texas, playing his high school ball at Rider High School in Wichita Falls. He was an all-around athlete at the prep level, participating in football, basketball, baseball and track. He excelled on the gridiron, however, as he caught 141 passes for 2,720 yards and 32 touchdowns over his final two seasons. As a senior, Tom Lemming ranked Nelson as the nation’s sixth best receiving prospect.
For Oklahoma, Sam Bradford led the offensive charge as he completed 26 of 41 passes for 256 yards and two scores. The Heisman Trophy winner was not an All-American, like Tebow, while he played at Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City, but he has obviously developed into one of the best college quarterbacks of the past two decades. A look at the last 10 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks shows that Bradford threw for more yards (4,464) and more touchdowns (48) than any trophy winner since 1992.
While the majority of the Sooner players come from the Lone Star State, the stars for Oklahoma on Thursday night came from just outside the Texas borders.
Chris Brown, a junior running back from Alexandria, La., led the Sooners in rushing with 110 yards on 22 carries. The junior was a two-time all-state player at Alexandria High School, rushing for 1,685 yards as a senior and 1,934 yards as a junior.
Meanwhile junior tight end Jermaine Greshman scored both of Oklahoma’s touchdowns and finished with eight catches for 62 yards. An All-American while at Ardmore High School in Ardmore, Okla., Gresham caught 70 passes for 1,205 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior.
As indicated by the number of Texas players on the roster, Stoops and his staff recruit heavily across the border. That hasn’t changed in 2008-09. Of the 21 players who have given verbal commitments to Oklahoma so far, 12 are from Texas. Among the top prizes are defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland of Lufkin, who is ranked No. 1 on Tom Lemming’s list of defensive tackles, running back Jonathan Miller of Garland Naaman Forest and linebacker Tom Wort from New Braunfels.
Among the top Oklahoma players headed to play for the Sooners are MaxPreps All-Americans Gabe Ikard of Bishop McGuinness at tight end and Ronnell Lewis of Dewar at linebacker.
Florida has 16 recruits, five with signed letters of intent and 11 with verbal commitments. Topping the list of in-state players is Andre DeBose, a MaxPreps All-American from Seminole High School in Sanford. Other top Florida players include MaxPreps All-Americans Nick Alajajian of Naples on the offensive line and Nu’Keese Richardson of Pahokee at wide receiver.
