Florida Football 2011: 11 Florida Natives Who Could Hurt the Gators This Season

Try as it might, there is no way Florida is ever going to sign every single top in-state high school football player. The key for the Gators though is getting more of the elite Sunshine State products than anyone else.

But there are quite a few who do get away, and many of those athletes often end up being heavy contributors for their schools.

This year, UF will see its share of Florida products wearing opposing uniforms, and quite a few of them are of all-star caliber.

Here's a look (this isn't counting Florida State, which, like the Gators, has built much of its roster around Florida preps) at some of those players.

Art Evans

WHO: Art Evans, 5'11", 175-pound senior DB

COLLEGE: Tennessee

HIGH SCHOOL: Evangel Christian (Lakeland)

OF NOTE: Evans has played in 19 games the last two seasons, starting 18. Against two of the best teams the Volunteers faced in 2010—Alabama and LSU—Evans recorded a combined 13 tackles. That included a career-best eight against the Tigers.

Danny Trevathan

WHO: Danny Trevathan, 6'1", 230-pound senior LB

COLLEGE: Kentucky

HIGH SCHOOL: Leesburg

OF NOTE: Trevathan led the SEC in tackles in 2010 with 144 (11.1-per-game) and was third in tackles for loss (16), earning him First-Team All-American honors from CollegeFootballNews.com. Multiple media agencies named him First-Team All-SEC, and he recorded a career-high 17 tackles against eventual BCS national champion Auburn.

Trent Richardson

WHO: Trent Richardson, 5'11", 224-pound junior RB

COLLEGE: Alabama

HIGH SCHOOL: Pensacola

OF NOTE: Former Gator coach Urban Meyer did all he could to get Richardson to come to Gainesville (and actually got him on campus for the "Friday Night Lights" event for recruits), but the big back from the panhandle ended up with Alabama.

There, some NFL scouts have said he has become a better pro prospect than 2009 Heisman Trophy winner (and 2011 first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints) Mark Ingram, Richardson's former backfield-mate. Despite splitting time with Ingram, Richardson has a combined 1,451 yards his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa and could be a Heisman candidate by the time December rolls around.

Karnell Hatcher

WHO: Karnell Hatcher, 6'2", 212-pound senior S

COLLEGE: LSU

HIGH SCHOOL: Atlantic Community (Delray Beach)

OF NOTE: Hatcher finished third on the team in tackles last season with 63. He was at his best against two of the nation's best, recording nine tackles and forcing a fumble against Alabama, while also getting seven tackles and breaking up a pass against Auburn. He had career highs in tackles (10) against Mississippi and Arkansas.

Another Tiger to watch could be sophomore receiver Kadron Boone, Gator quarterback John Brantley's favorite target at Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic.

Onterio McCalebb

WHO: Onterio McCalebb, 5'10", 172-pound junior RB

COLLEGE: Auburn

HIGH SCHOOL: Fort Meade (followed by a year at Hargrave Military Academy)

OF NOTE: With two years to go, McCalebb ranks 27th on Auburn's career rushing list with 1,375 yards. In 2010 he set the school record for yards per carry (minimum 75 attempts) with 8.5.

And remember, this is a school that has produced Bo Jackson, Brent Fullwood, Joe Cribbs, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, Ronnie Brown, Stephen Davis, William Andrews and Rudi Johnson, among others.

McCalebb finished second on the Tigers in all-purpose yardage (1,123) during Auburn's BCS title run last year.

Aaron Murray

WHO: Aaron Murray, 6'1", 209-pound sophomore QB

COLLEGE: Georgia

HIGH SCHOOL: Plant (Tampa)

OF NOTE: Murray was named to multiple freshman All-American teams in 2010 after completing 209-of-342 (61.1-percent) for 3,049 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions, giving him a quarterback efficiency rating of 154.48.

His 3,216 total yards (Murray had 167 yards rushing) is a school record for a freshman and ranks second in SEC history among first-year players. Murray had good and bad moments against UF in 2010, completing 18-of-37 passes for 313 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Orson Charles

WHO: Orson Charles, 6'3", 240-pound junior TE

COLLEGE: Georgia

HIGH SCHOOL: Plant (Tampa)

OF NOTE: A prep teammate of Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray, look for those two to hook up a lot in 2011. Charles was named Second-Team All-SEC by the coaches as a sophomore after catching 26 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He was named to multiple freshman All-American teams in 2009 after grabbing 23 receptions for 374 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Charles' best game as a Bulldog came last year against UF when he had six receptions for 108 yards. Prior to that, he was infamous in Gator lore for having accidentally shattered Florida's 2006 BCS National Championship crystal trophy after bumping into it on a recruiting trip to Gainesville.

Johnell Thomas

WHO: Johnell Thomas, 6'0", 250-pound junior DE

COLLEGE: Vanderbilt

HIGH SCHOOL: Boone (Orlando)

OF NOTE: In 2010, Thomas recorded career highs in total tackles (22), solo tackles (12), tackles for loss (four) and sacks (1.5). That came after delivering just six total tackles as a redshirt freshman.

Thomas, who was named the Commodores' Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against LSU last year, is expected to be one of the five or six best players on the Vanderbilt defense in 2011.

Stephen Garcia

WHO: Stephen Garcia, 6'2", 230-pound senior QB

COLLEGE: South Carolina

HIGH SCHOOL: Jefferson (Tampa)

OF NOTE: A fifth-year senior who has had his share of off-the-field difficulties, Garcia ranks third all-time in South Carolina history in passing yards (6,753), completions (528), attempts (903) and passing touchdowns (43).

After completing 224-of-349 passes for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2010, Garcia was named Third-Team All-SEC. He has a career record of 14-3 at home, had two games of 350-plus passing yards (Kentucky, Vanderbilt) and also what coach Steve Spurrier called, "the best game of (Garcia's) career" when the quarterback completed 17-of-20 passes for 201 yards in leading the Gamecocks to a 35-21 victory against then-No. 1 Alabama.

Antonio Allen

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WHO: Antonio Allen, 6'2", 208-pound senior S/LB

COLLEGE: South Carolina

HIGH SCHOOL: Trinity Catholic (Ocala)

OF NOTE: Despite missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, Allen still finished second on the Gamecocks with 70 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss (2.5 of which were sacks).

He had a big game in Gainesville (30 minutes from his hometown), recording seven stops, including 2.5 for loss in South Carolina's 36-14 romp against Florida. Later in the season, Allen matched his career-high with eight tackles against eventual BCS national champion Auburn in the SEC Championship game.

Akeem Auguste

WHO: Akeem Auguste, 5'10", 183-pound senior DB

COLLEGE: South Carolina

HIGH SCHOOL: Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood)

OF NOTE: The most experienced member of South Carolina's secondary, Auguste has started at least nine games each at free safety and cornerback. Playing free safety in 2010, Auguste finished sixth on the team with 58 tackles. He also recorded four tackles for loss, two passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble.

Another Floridian to watch on the South Carolina roster is linebacker Shaq Wilson, who missed all of 2010 with a hamstring injury, but recorded a team-high 85 tackles in 2009.