On Tuesday, Aug. 22, Netflix’s “Swamp Kings” premiers, and college football fans will be glued to what became of some of the most popular members of the talented yet combustible national champion University of Florida teams under Urban Meyer.
Those teams not only won two national titles in a span of three seasons during the late 2000s but featured some of the most polarizing personalities in CFB lore.
Yet, while the documentary will most likely focus on Meyer, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow, and the late Aaron Hernandez, the multi-skilled Percy Harvin was also an integral part of those championship teams, leading to the question: What happened to the versatile and explosive wide receiver?
Where Is Harvin Now? Is He Officially Retired?
Not much is known about the whereabouts of Harvin. There’s been no revelation of what he’s doing now and where he lives.
But, the native of Chesapeake, Virginia, has been out of the NFL since March 14, 2017, which was actually one of two retirements he made.
His first retirement came in April of 2016 due to chronic knee and hip ailments. Harvin was 27 at the time of his first retirement. Then, after a brief attempt to return to the league, he retired a second time in 2017.
But his reason for retiring a second time was due to migraine headaches he dealt with during his time with the Buffalo Bills.
Will Harvin Be Heavily Featured in Upcoming Documentary?
Not much is known about how much air time Harvin was given, let alone how much of a focus he became by the makers of the next sports documentary from Netflix as part of its “Untold” sports series.
Harvin played on Florida teams that had talented future NFL players named Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden, the Pouncey twins, and a surprise first-rounder in Tebow. But Harvin was just as instrumental and immensely popular among Gators fans.
Harvin was a five-star signing for Meyer and handed Florida the state of Virginia’s No. 1 overall prospect by 247Sports for the 2006 class.
Though he arrived as a 5’11” wide receiver, Meyer experimented with him as a quarterback who took direct snaps and ran with the ball, helping lead to back-to-back 1,000-yard all-purpose yards in 2007 and 2008.
While Tebow was known more for his emotional and fiery play behind center, Harvin was the jolt of electricity the Gators needed to storm on defenses.
Percy Harvin made it look so easy at Florida ⚡ pic.twitter.com/d2cgQw051r
— CFB History (@CFB_History) April 22, 2020
Harvin went on to help guide the Gators to those two national titles in the 2006 and 2008 seasons, trouncing Ohio State 41-14 and then surpassing Oklahoma 24-14 two years later. His dynamic plays began to win over NFL teams until one roadblock occurred on his way to the league.
Harvin Dropped in NFL Draft Following Failed Drug Test
Harvin went from a top-10 talent to someone many draft experts began to write off following his failed drug test at the NFL Combine.
Harvin tested positive for marijuana in February 2009. The end result was him dropping to No. 22 overall to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings, though, ended up using that same versatility that made Harvin popular in Gainesville, leading to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 after Harvin generated 2,081 total yards from scrimmage.
In the next two seasons, Harvin went on to improve his reception totals to 71 in his second year and 87 in Year 3. But he couldn’t stay healthy after his third NFL season and went on catch no more than 62 passes in a single season between 2012-2016.
Harvin also produced just two more 1,000-yard all-purpose seasons while making stops with the Seattle Seahawks (twice), New York Jets, and the Bills.
Still, Harvin remains revered in “The Swamp” and is anticipated to be glorified in the upcoming documentary.
Remember when…?!
Which Percy Harvin play is your favorite? pic.twitter.com/zhHmFaBdrc
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) May 24, 2022