Tag: Arlis Boardingham

Florida football’s standout tight end recovering after spring surgery

It should not be too serious as Boardingham is expected back for summer workouts.

Florida football got some good news on Monday when tight end Arlis Boardingham revealed that he had successfully undergone surgery to repair a sports hernia, according to Gators Online.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 238-pound redshirt sophomore played in the program’s annual Orange and Blue game on Saturday, catching an 18-yard pass that set up the game-winning field goal. The report notes that Boardingham is expected to be back in time for summer workouts.

The Golden State native played in all 12 games last season with a pair of starts sprinkled in, pulling in 26 receptions for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He stood out in Florida’s win over the Vanderbilt Commodores for homecoming, snagging seven catches for 99 yards and two scores.

Florida kicks off its 2024 regular-season schedule on Aug. 31 against the Miami Hurricanes inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators open their SEC schedule with the Texas A&M Aggies arriving in the Swamp on Sept. 14.

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Pair of Florida football freshmen earn All-American honors

These two freshmen Gators are a good reason to feel good about Florida football in the near future.

The Football Writers Association of America announced their Freshman All-American list on Tuesday, which included a pair of standout members of the Florida Gators program.

Tight end [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson[/autotag] were both recognized after impressive performances in their debut collegiate campaigns for the Orange and Blue. Florida joins the Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners and Tulane Green Wave as the only schools to boast two players on the list.

The pair represent the first UF players selected for the honor since 2016. That year, offensive lineman Juwaan Taylor and linebacker David Reese made the first-year cut.

Wilson burst onto the scene in 2023 with his electrifying playmaking, catching the heart and soul of the Gator Nation early on while finishing as one of the bright spots for the future of the program. The Sunshine State product played in 10 games with seven starts, leading the offense in touchdown receptions with six, while finishing second in receptions and yards with 61 and 538, respectively.

Boardingham played in all twelve games with two starts, snagging 26 receptions for 289 yards and four scores while providing needed athleticism at the tight end position. The California native was also recognized by the College Football Network as an honorable mention for Freshman All-American.

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Florida leads FWAA Freshman All-American Watch List with 5 selections

Billy Napier has brought some talent to Gainesville and the Football Writers Association of America is taking notice of Florida’s freshmen.

The Football Writer Association of America named five Florida Gators to its 2023 Freshman All-American Watch List on Wednesday.

Florida’s five selections are the most by any team featured on the list and make up more than one-third of the SEC’s total selections (14).

Tight end Arlis Boardingham and offensive guard Knijeah Harris are the two offensive players on the list.

Boardingham has come into his own as Florida’s best pass-catching tight end and has 18 receptions for 105 yards and a team-high four touchdowns this year. Harris has performed well as a trusted piece of the interior line rotation.

Defensive linemen Caleb Banks and T.J. Searcy join safety Jordan Castell as the Gators defenders on the list.

Castell has been a starter from Day 1 and has led the team both on and off the field as a true freshman. Banks, a redshirt freshman transfer from Louisville, is also a starter. His 10 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss don’t seem too impressive, but he’s a crucial piece of Florida’s impressive front seven.

Searcy is an edge rusher who is behind Princely Umanmielen on the depth chart. Umanmielen has been one of the top pass rushers in the country this year, yet Searcy has still managed 17 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. His best game came on Saturday against South Carolina, so the best may be yet to come.

Eugene “Tre” Wilson III’s absence from this list might be the most startling thing about it, though. While Wilson has missed time with injury, he’s been the best freshman for Florida so far this year and looks like a key piece for the future, similar to Castell on defense.

Regardless, it’s apparent that Florida is loaded with first-year talent, which speaks to Billy Napier’s recruiting ability coming off a 6-7 Year 1 in the Swamp.

The last regime coaching staff didn’t seem too thrilled to recruit at a non-stop pace, but Napier seems to always be working.

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Twitter reacts to late-game juggling touchdown by TE Arlis Boardingham

See how Twitter reacted to the Arlis Boardingham juggling catch, turning it into a touchdown.

The Florida Gators finally earned a road win in 2023 after taking down the South Carolina Gamecocks in an offensive shootout.

Touchdowns and field goals were traded by both teams but the Florida Gators passing game looks like it’s in shape going into the bye week. Senior receiver Ricky Pearsall collected 166 yards on 10 catches but freshman stand-out tight end Arlis Boardingham has been coming to form the last couple weeks.

Boardingham was vital in clutch time and assisted in converting a long 4th down try and scored six points to lessen the deficit on the scoreboard.

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz rolled to his right on a 2nd and goal at the four-yard line, finding Boardingham in open space two yards away. The freshman tight end juggled the catch but came down with it before crossing the goal line.

Florida’s tight end earns SEC co-Freshman of the Week honor

This redshirt freshman made the most of his playing time on Saturday against Vanderbilt.

The Southeastern Conference league office announced its weekly honors on Monday, which included Florida tight end Arlis Boardingham who was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after a stellar performance against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The redshirt freshman out of Van Nuys (California) Birmingham had his first major breakout game to help the Gators emerge victoriously in their homecoming matchup. Boardingham reeled in a pair of touchdowns and finished with seven catches for 99 yards, giving him the most receptions by a Gators tight end since Kyle Pitts snagged eight in 2020.

His totals in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns were all high-water marks in the talented tight end’s nascent collegiate career.

“I feel like it’s just trusting coaching,” Boardingham told the press after his Week 6 efforts. “Trusting my O-Line, making sure that I know that they’re gonna protect me. Trusting Graham, knowing that if I’m open he will give me the ball. And just like I said, going back to the fundamentals in practice, after practice, getting that extra work in, just making sure I’m prepared.”

Next up for Florida is a trip to Columbia, South Carolina, to face Spencer Rattler and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Oct. 14, inside William-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on the SEC Network.

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2023 Florida Football Position Preview: Tight Ends

Florida’s tight end room is a little banged up, but there is some young talent on the roster that could break out during the season

Florida’s tight end room wasn’t much of a strength in 2022, and the position room is a bit banged up heading into Billy Napier’s second year in the Swamp.

The team’s top returner at the position, Keon Zipperer, is out for the season recovering from ACL surgery, leaving Dante Zanders, a player with less than 100 career receiving yards to his name, at No. 1 on the list. Fortunately, redshirt freshman Arlis Boardingham has emerged as a strong pass catcher and could see decent action in his first full (and healthy) collegiate season.

Napier likes using the 12 formation, which utilizes two tight ends, meaning both should see the field often given their different strengths. Behind them, things get a bit less clear, but there’s a decent amount of young depth ready to take a step forward.

Here’s a look at every tight end on the Florida Gators 2023 football roster.

Gators lose 5th-year tight end to injury during spring practice

We’re still waiting to learn the severity of the injury but hopefully, it’s just a minor tweak.

Florida football got some bad news on Thursday when fifth-year senior tight end Keon Zipperer went down with an apparent knee injury during spring practice. According to a post made on his personal Facebook page Thursday night, it appears that the damage might be more severe than we hope as he simply wrote “2024 shake back year” without any further clarification.

Zipperer’s 2022 campaign saw a drop-off in playing time after seeing action in all 13 games the year prior, getting onto the field just eight times — the same number of games as his freshman year — due to a knee injury that ended his season early. It is unclear if the current injury is related to the previous one.

He did make the most of his fourth year in Gainesville, tallying 177 yards on 13 catches — all collegiate highs — despite the limited action. Zipperer’s offensive production led the Gators at tight end last season, while also standing out as the group’s top performer in pass protection and run blocking.

The absence of Zipperer leaves [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] and [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] as the veteran players at the position, while [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] — neither of whom received meaningful reps as true freshmen last year — will get plenty of opportunities to step up ahead of the opener against Utah.

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Gators tight ends coach William Peagler also headed to NFL

In addition to defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, Florida is losing tight ends coach William Peagler to the NFL.

After news broke that Florida would be losing its defensive coordinator, [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag], to the NFL, word came in that he wouldn’t be the only Gators coach poached by the Arizona Cardinals.

On3’s Matt Zenitz is reporting that Florida tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] is also making the move from [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s staff to work under Jonathan Gannon in the pros. Peagler spent just one year with the program after spending time at Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana and Michigan State.

Peagler worked his way up the coaching ladder quickly and found himself as one of the premiere assistants in the game while at Michigan State. He helped developed second-round pick Kenneth Walker III while with the Spartans, but Peageler faced a much more challenging task at Florida.

When he got to UF, the Gators had just lost [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] to the transfer portal and had just one active scholarship tight end on the roster, [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag]. A couple of injuries forced defensive players to switch positions, including [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] who ended up getting some playing time for Florida at tight end.

The position group never truly shined throughout 2022, but Zipperer, Zanders and [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] are all returning in 2023. Redshirt freshmen [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag], [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Savaiinaea[/autotag] will also be in the position room under the new coach.

Florida has until March 4 to hire a tight ends coach before the start of spring camp.

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Florida lacking receiver depth ahead of rivalry game against FSU

The Gators don’t have a ton of depth at the receiver spot this week after injuries have ravaged the position room over the past few weeks.

The Florida Gators are once again dealing with depth issues ahead of their final game of the 2022 regular season against Florida State.

After getting back starting wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] a week ago for the Vanderbilt game, No. 4 finds himself back on the injury report this week. He’s not the only starting receiver listed as “out” this week, either. The team’s No. 2, [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag], won’t be playing against the Seminoles, and starting slot receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is “questionable” after missing most of last week’s game.

Pearsall suffered an upper-body injury against the Commodores, but Billy Napier expects him to be ready on Friday. [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Burke[/autotag] and [autotag]Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman[/autotag] won’t be available either.

In place of Shorter and Henderson will be redshirt freshman [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag]. Reynolds had a breakout game against Vanderbilt last week, leading the team with 165 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. He dropped just one pass and made up for it two plays later with his second score.

Douglas got the start against South Carolina and hauled in three catches for 53 yards. He’s appeared in six games so far this season and has two touchdowns on the year.

Tight end [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is still dealing with a lower-body injury that has him listed as questionable and down to the third-string spot on the depth chart. If he’s fully healthy, Zipperer could get some of his snaps back, but there doesn’t seem to be a ton of optimism that he’ll be ready to go. [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] should be Florida’s two main tight ends this week. True freshman [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] is also listed on the depth chart for the first time after dealing with an injury for most of the year.

Florida has fewer depth problems on the defensive side of things. Safety [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] is listed as the starter this week, but he suffered an injury during the Vanderbilt game that could limit him. Florida’s other starting safety, [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], said that the team would be fine if either true freshman, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] or [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag], had to step up in place of Torrence.

Finally, linebackers [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag] and [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] are expected to see the field a bit more often with [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] likely to miss the first half of the game after being disqualified for targeting against Vanderbilt.

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Depth Chart: Gators light at WR ahead of Week 11 matchup with South Carolina

The Gators might be thin at wide receiver this weekend when South Carolina comes to the Swamp.

The Florida Gators are still dealing with injuries, particularly at the wide receiver position, according to the Week 11 depth chart update released Wednesday evening.

The team’s leading receiver, [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], is still listed as questionable after missing the Texas A&M game, and backup [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] is out with an upper-body injury. Fraziars made his first-career start against the Aggies last week, so Florida will be down to it’s reserve options on Saturday.

Shorter is still listed as the starter, but freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] is set to make his first career start if he can’t go. Behind him and [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] will be Marcus Burke and [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] with [autotag]Kahleil Jackson[/autotag] as another option. [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is the starter in the slot.

The wide receiver room isn’t the only position group to deal with injuries. Starting left guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] was added to the injury report and is listed as questionable with an upper-body injury. White is still listed as the starter, but that decision will be made as kickoff approaches.

Freshman kicker [autotag]Trey Smack[/autotag], who has exclusively served as Florida’s kickoff man this season, is out for a second straight week after missing the Texas A&M game. [autotag]Travis Freeman [/autotag]will back up [autotag]Adam Mihalek[/autotag] for all kicking duties.

At linebacker, [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] is back on the depth chart and off the injury report. He’s listed as a third-team option behind [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] and [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag].

Tight end Keon Zipperer will miss a second-straight game, and that’s all for the depth chart update this week. [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Elksnis[/autotag] are all out as well.

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