Both the University of Florida and the University of Georgia have been beacons for high-level athletes and have served as places where athletes can grow their careers to the professional level. From football stars to track and field athletes to Olympic stars, these two schools have produced some of the best the world has seen.
The listing of the top five current professional athletes from UF and UGA combined will be primarily weighed on what they have accomplished in their professional career while also acknowledging some of their accolades at the collegiate level. Let’s get into the list.
No. 1: Caeleb Dressel (Florida 2015-2018)
Dressel is a 28-year-old American swimmer whose medal collection at the Olympics is astonishing. In his pro career, he has accumulated 47 medals across three Olympics, World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships, and World Junior Championships, with 33 of those medals being gold. In his college career at UF, Dressel reached the podium 16 times, standing on the top step for 10 of his 16 appearances.
His most successful meets have been the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, where he won seven gold medals, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he went 5-for-5, winning gold in every event that he swam. Dressel’s performance in Tokyo made him just the fifth American to win five gold medals in an Olympic Games since 1970.
No. 2: Matthew Stafford (Georgia 2006-2008)
Super Bowl Champion quarterback Matthew Stafford was the Detroit Lions' No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The veteran signal caller has played in 221 total games including the regular-season and playoffs throughout his 16 NFL seasons.
Stafford has accumulated 57,718 regular-season passing yards and 364 touchdowns in his illustrious career, including two Pro Bowl selections and an AP Comeback Player of the Year nod in 2011.
The former Bulldog was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 from Lions. In his first season with the Rams, he helped lead them to a Super Bowl victory, further cementing his legacy as an all-time UGA great.
In his time in Athens, Stafford improved every season statistically, saving his best for last. During his junior campaign he led the SEC in pass completions and attempts, passing yards and yards per game.
No. 3: Anthony Edwards (Georgia 2019-2020)
Entering his fifth season in the NBA, Edwards has lived up to every bit of the expectations placed on him as the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has quickly developed into a superstar-caliber player with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his stats continue to improve each season he’s played in the league.
He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 to LaMelo Ball and was selected to the All-Star team the last two seasons. Among the All-Star selections, in the 2023-24 season, Edwards was selected to the All-NBA Second Team after a year in which he averaged 25.9 points per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 4.8 defensive rebounds.
When the lights are the brightest, the Ant-Man shines brighter, raising his level in the playoffs. In the 2022-23 playoffs, he averaged 31.6 points per game across five games, and in the 2023-24 playoffs, he averaged 27.6 points, 6.5 assists, and seven rebounds across 16 games.
In his time in Athens, Edwards was a “one-and-done” player for the Bulldogs, departing after just one season, but what a season it was. Edwards started in all 32 games he played in, averaging 19.1 points a game, with 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. In that 2019-20 season, he was named SEC Rookie of the Year, All-SEC, and SEC All-Freshman.
No. 4: Anna Hall (Georgia 2019-21, Florida 2021-22)
Hall is a world-class track and field star who is just getting her career started. The 23-year-old specializes in the heptathlon and the pentathlon, where she has been ranked as high as No. 1 globally in 2023. In her Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Hall placed fifth as she was still working her way back from knee surgery in January of this year.
In the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, she scored 6,720, securing silver medal. Hall also holds the North American indoor pentathlon record.
Hall’s collegiate journey is nothing short of unique. As a Bulldog, she helped Georgia win third place at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships but did not participate in the heptathlon.
In 2022, Hall transferred to rival Florida and wasted little time making a huge impact. She was the NCAA Outdoor Champion in the Heptathlon, the NCAA Indoor Champion in the Pentathlon and the SEC Indoor Champion in the Pentathlon for the Gators in her 2022 campaign. Hall holds four UF records in the Outdoor Heptathlon, the Outdoor 400 Hurdles, the Indoor Pentathlon and the Outdoor High Jump.
No. 5: Ben Shelton (Florida 2021-22)
Shelton has had a meteoric rise through the world tennis ranks over the last four years, starting with his first season at UF. The 22-year-old currently sits as the No. 23 singles player globally and has been ranked as high as No. 13 in August.
Shelton emerged on the ATP Tour in 2023 at the Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by fellow American Tommy Paul. Later in the 2023 season, Shelton broke through once again, reaching the U.S. Open semifinals. He’s claimed two career titles and is a part of a new wave of American professional tennis players.
In his brief time as a Gator, he accomplished more than most players have in program history. As a freshman, Shelton went 10-2 in SEC singles play and clinched the match against Baylor to secure the first National Championship in Florida men’s tennis history.
In his sophomore year, Shelton won the 2022 NCAA Individual Championship and was named the 2022 ITA National Player of the Year after following an individual title and a 37-5 singles record. Shelton went 65-10 in singles matches as a Gator.
Florida’s football team (4-3, 2-2 SEC) will take on No. 2 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) Saturday in Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m.
Contact Chandler Hawkes at chawkes@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @HawkesChandler.
