87 Days Until Kickoff: Best Florida Gators to wear 87

With the 2025 college football season slowly approaching, Florida Gators on SI will be recognizing some of the top players to suit up in the Florida Gators’ orange and blue. 

Since Florida kicks off their season against Long Island University in 87 days, let's take a look at some of the best players in program history to wear No. 87.

Jim Yancey (1968 to 1971)

Apparently, the Miami Palmetto High School to University of Florida recruiting pipeline has been active for at least 50 years. 

Yancey spent four seasons at Florida, totaling 64 catches for 842 yards and six touchdowns. In 1970, he was an AP All-American honorable mention, also making the First Team All-SEC that year. During his final collegiate season, he caught 24 passes for 292 yards, serving as Florida’s third-leading receiver behind Gators legends Carlos Alvarez and Willie Jackson.

Mike Clark (1978 to 1980)

Although there are limited individual statistics available from Clark’s time at Florida, he will always be remembered as a starter on a Gators team that made history.

During his final season at Florida, he helped the Gators pull off the biggest single-season turnaround in NCAA Division I history, rebounding from a winless season in 1979 to become an 8-4 bowl team in 1980.

Clark was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round (190th overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft. The Alabama native went on to play three seasons in the NFL, appearing in 14 games while earning three starts.

Robby Stevenson (1995 to 1997)

Stevenson served as Florida’s starting punter during part of one of the most successful stretches in program history.

His best season came during the Gators National Championship season in 1996 when he averaged 42.1 yards per punt while also handling kickoff duties for Florida. His 40.4 yards-per-punt career average still ranks among the top ten in program history (minimum of 10 punts).

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