UF will have two pairs of brothers on team for first time since 1978

Mississippi State graduate transfer Stewart Reese is reuniting with Florida coach Dan Mullen and will play his final collegiate season with younger brother David Reese, a redshirt sophomore linebacker at UF.

It will be the first time in more than four decades that two pairs of brothers are on Florida’s 85-man roster in the same season, as the Reese brothers join 2020 signee Ethan Pouncey and Texas transfer Jordan Pouncey. A third player on this year’s team, freshman Xzavier Henderson, is the younger brother of former Gator C.J. Henderson.

Florida football has featured several siblings through the years, from the Gaffney and Brantley brothers in the 1970s to the Jackson duo in the 1990s and Caldwell brothers in the early 2000s. In 1978, John and Scot Brantley were teammates at UF along with Johnny and Warren Gaffney.

Dating back to Mullen’s time as offensive coordinator, the Gators have signed six sets of brothers up until this past season. Henderson and the Pouncey and Reese brothers will make it nine in 2020.

Here’s a look at the siblings who’ve played for the Gators since 2007. At least one brother from each of the six duos went on to an NFL career, excluding walk-on special-teamers John and Kyle Crofoot.

The Pouncey twins made 84 career starts combined and played in 95 total games. After switching to defensive tackle late in his freshman year, Mike Pouncey rejoined his brother on the offensive line in 2008 and they anchored a unit that helped the Gators win their second SEC title and national championship in three years. Maurkice Pouncey won the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best center, in 2009 before turning pro early and getting drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike took over for him at center as a senior and became a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He's in his third year with the Chargers after seven seasons in Miami. Both brothers have been selected to multiple Pro Bowls.

Frankie Hammond was a freshman on Florida’s 2008 title team and became a full-time starter by his senior season, helping the Gators go 11-2 in 2012. He caught 63 passes for 809 yards and six touchdowns in 48 games played, making 19 starts. Hammond spent four years with the Kansas City Chiefs (2013-16). His younger brother, Josh Hammond, started 31 of his 49 games played and also capped his UF career with an 11-win season. He recorded 87 total catches for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns, as well as a 76-yard TD run at Kentucky last year. Hammond signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in April.

Trey Burton saw action at quarterback, fullback, wide receiver and tight end in 2010 and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. As a senior, he transitioned to a permanent pass catcher and concluded his career with 107 receptions for 976 yards and four touchdowns. Burton also rushed for 720 yards and 16 touchdowns on 141 carries in 50 games played, including 29 starts. He won a Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles and is now with the Indianapolis Colts. Clay Burton made 25 starts at tight end in 37 career games, totaling 21 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown. He had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills in fall 2015.

Ivie appeared in 36 games as a defensive lineman and started 10 games his senior year. He made 16 starts in his career with 80 total tackles and 6.5 sacks. Ivie, now a member of the Tennessee Titans, was a seventh-round pick in 2017 and has played with five different NFL teams in three seasons. His younger brother, defensive tackle Andrew Ivie, redshirted his first year at UF and received a medical exemption prior to the 2016 season. Ivie was accepted into UF’s Doctorate Physical Therapy program last fall.

Johnny Townsend became Florida’s all-time leading punter with 11,090 yards and 240 total punts, passing Eric Wilbur’s records from 2006 (9,900 yards and 231 punts). Townsend’s career punting average of 46.2 yards is the best in SEC history and his career punting yards ranks fifth all-time. He’s currently a free agent after spending his rookie season in Oakland. His younger brother, Tommy Townsend, transferred from Tennessee and punted for 4,162 yards on 93 attempts (44.8 avg.) in his two years with the Gators. He set the school record for most yards by a punter in a single game and is now a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with the sons of former Miami cornerback Chad Wilson. Quincy Wilson started 24 of his 39 games played at UF and made 74 total tackles, 11 pass breakups and six interceptions, including a pick-six against Missouri. Wilson was a second-round pick by the Colts in 2017 and now plays for the New York Jets. Marco Wilson joined Joe Haden (2007), Janoris Jenkins (2008) and Marcus Roberson (2011) as the only four true freshmen to start at cornerback on opening day in program history. Last year he bounced back from a season-ending injury in 2018 and started all 13 games, recording 36 total tackles, three interceptions and two pass break-ups.