Florida Football: The 5 Most Underappreciated Players in School History

Through the years, the University of Florida has had its share of stars. Players like Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Danny Wuerffel and Brandon Spikes have put the Gators on the national radar. Teams need these type of superstars to succeed. 

With that being said, football is a team game and there are always the players who do the little things out of the spotlight to help their team. These are the type of players who show up and play hard whether it's during practice or the national championship. They face a different type of adversity than big-name prospects and work harder for the success they achieve. 

Here is a list of five of the most underappreciated players in Florida football history. Let me know in the comments section if you believe there is a player so underappreciated that he was even left off of this list. 

David Nelson

David Nelson came to Florida as a 4-star recruit and an Army All-American. The 6'5'' receiver struggled to get onto the field early, hauling in just nine passes for 111 yards in his first two seasons on campus. 

Nelson continued to be a role player in his junior year before catching a pass that will define his career as a Gator forever. 

Leading up to the 2009 BCS National Championship the storylines were centered around Oklahoma's high-powered offense, Percy Harvin's health and of course, Tim Tebow. Nelson caught just two passes in the game, but his last catch gave the Gators a 24-14 lead and essentially iced the game. 

Nelson went on to be undrafted after his senior season and signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he has become a receiving threat opposite of Stevie Johnson. 

Jason Odom

Playmakers and players who score touchdowns often get all the headlines. With this being the case, the big men along the offensive line often get overlooked. In truth, no play would be successful without the warriors down in the trenches. 

Jason Odom spent three seasons at left tackle, protecting Danny Wuerffel's blindside and leading the Gators to three SEC championships. 

Odom was a recipient of the Jacob's Blocking Trophy (which recognizes the best blocker in the SEC) in 1994 and 1995 and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Too often offensive linemen are overlooked and Jason Odom was one of the best linemen to ever put on the orange and blue. 

Kerwin Bell

A surefire indicator of being underappreciated and undervalued is being a walk-on.

Kerwin Bell was not awarded a scholarship out of high school and walked on at Florida. As a freshman, Bell was eighth on the depth chart and was redshirted. As a redshirt freshman, Bell led the Gators to a 9-1-1 record and an SEC championship (The Gators were on probation at the time and the championship was vacated). The "Throwin Mayoan" had arrived and finally earned a scholarship. 

Ahmad Black

Ahmad Black was one of seven Lakeland high school players to commit to Florida in 2007. His whole life Black was told he was too small and too slow to play football and at every stage he proved his critics wrong. 

Even the man who gave him a scholarship, Urban Meyer, thought he was too slow for the SEC and moved him from cornerback to safety. The move would change Black's football career. 

As a sophomore, Black would earn the starting strong safety spot and start all 14 games. He recorded 59 tackles, tied for the national lead with interceptions (seven) and returned those picks for 191 yards and two touchdowns. His seventh and final interception of the season was against Sam Bradford in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. Black went up and ripped the ball out of Juaquin Iglesias hands. The interception stopped a successful Sooner drive and set up the Gators game-icing drive.

Even after his stellar sophomore campaign, Black was still forced to battle during the spring and summer for his starting job. Black would go on to start every game in his junior and senior year, becoming the defensive leader as a senior. 

Black's career as a Gator had a storybook ending as he intercepted a pass and took it 80 yards for a touchdown to stop a Penn State drive late in his final collegiate game. 

Black went from slow, undersized and underappreciated, to one of the best safeties in school history. 

He was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

Riley Cooper

Riley Cooper was a two-sport star at Florida where he played football and baseball. 

During his first three years on campus, Cooper could be seen running down the field on special teams and playing in garbage time at receiver. Cooper caught 30 passes for nine touchdowns in his first three seasons as a Gator and was better known for being Tim Tebow's roommate than a Florida football player.

Cooper had his best season as a senior when he caught 51 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns. He became Tebow's favorite target and the Gators most reliable receiving option.

Cooper went on to be drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles.