​It was a landmark national championship for Florida, defined by a dynamic Fun ’N’ Gun offense, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, and a visor-wearing coach exuding swagger from Key West to Pensacola. Florida’s football program secured its first national title 30 years ago, finishing the 1996 season at 12-1 with a 52-20 victory over rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. Two of the three statues that stand in front of The Swamp point back to that memorable era, underscoring the impact of the championship run. Heisman winner Steve Spurrier, in his sixth year as Florida’s head coach, steered a high-octane offense that lit up scoreboards with remarkable consistency. Under Spurrier’s play-calling, the Gators led the nation in total offense at 503.9 yards per game and topped the SEC in scoring, averaging 47.0 points per game—a mark that remains a conference record to this day. The starting quarterback was Danny Wuerffel, whose prolific performance that season earned him the Heisman Trophy, with 3,625 passing yards and 39 touchdown passes.
Defensively, Florida underwent a transformation under first-year coordinator Bob Stoops, adopting a more aggressive, blitz-centric approach. The Gators finished third in the SEC in total defense, allowing 250.2 yards per game, and also ranked third in the league in turnovers forced, at 2.2 per game. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1996 national title team, The Gainesville Sun announced plans to count down the top 30 players from that squad in the coming weeks. Here is a look at No. 22:
Why No. 22 matters: Nicknamed “The Freak,” Jevon Kearse made a significant impact as a redshirt freshman on Florida’s defense. In 11 games with seven starts at strongside linebacker, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Kearse totaled 44 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass breakups and 1 blocked PAT during the 1996 season. A Fort Myers native, Kearse earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors for Florida in 1998 before embarking on a successful 10-year NFL career with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. He captured NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1999 and earned Pro Bowl selections from 1999 through 2001.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. You can reach him at kbrockway@gannett.com or follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. This feature originally appeared in The Gainesville Sun’s coverage of Florida football’s Top 30 players from 1996: No. 22, Jevon Kearse, for enhanced SEO.