Tag: Dante Zanders

Suspensions given to offensive linemen, tight end after late-game scrum

Late-game fight with Tennessee turns into three suspensions for the Florida Gators.

Suspensions have been handed out by the SEC to three members of the Florida Gators offense after a late-game scuffle.

Linemen Damieon George, Micah Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders are suspended for the first half of Florida’s matchup against the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday.

Quarterback Graham Mertz and the Florida Gators were ready to snap the ball from the victory formation and seal the upset over the visiting Tennessee Volunteers.

Mertz started to play and realized he had time to kill, so he started to stall in the backfield while the Vols defense gave a half-effort getting to the quarterback.

Volunteer defender Omari Brown was a tad too late and took a shot on Mertz, even though the quarterback was already attempting to end the play. The Gators immediately jumped into action and confronted Brown, but he was trying to play innocent.

Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden jumped in to challenge the Gators to a brawl and the end of the game was about to get ugly. Mazzccua was the first to start swinging while other action happened near the Gators’ bench.

The SEC Offices released an official statement on Monday afternoon.

“The suspensions were determined after further video review and consultation between the Southeastern Conference Office, the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee,” the statement read.

“Offensive lineman Damieon George, offensive lineman Micha Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders of Florida will be suspended for the first half of the Gators’ game with Charlotte on Saturday in Gainesville. Defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott of Tennessee will be suspended for the first half of the Volunteers’ game with UTSA on Saturday in Knoxville.”

Head coach Billy Napier also said there will be internal punishment for the players involved in the late-game scrum.

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Gators tight end returns from injury, prepares for season opener

Zanders was expected to work out on Friday and Saturday, and hopefully, he’ll be ready for Thursday night’s brawl.

Florida football’s season opener against the Utah Utes is days away as the Gators get geared up for the second year of the Billy Napier era. A tough road lies ahead, but the Orange and Blue are up for the challenge.

As the coaching staff wraps up the roster, a great deal of attention has been placed on players who are dealing with injuries and whether they will be able to suit up for the tough road match.

Among those is redshirt senior [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag], who has assumed the starting role in the absence of senior Keon Zipper, who sustained an ACL tear in March. The former suffered an undisclosed injury during Florida’s fall camp and has missed practice since Aug. 8, but the Gators Nation received some good news recently.

On Friday, Napier addressed the media and answered their many questions, including the status of Zanders.

“We do anticipate getting Zanders back,” Napier told them. “He’ll be able to participate (Friday) and (Saturday), so we’ll see where he’s at relative to being ready for the game.”

As noted above, the injury bug ravaged the Gators’ tight end room over the past few seasons. Zipperer, Gage Wilcox, Nick Elksnis and Jonathan Odom have gone down with season-ending ailments since the start of Napier’s tenure. That attrition has caught up with the corps; the current room is heavy on unproven freshmen, headlined by former four-star athlete Arlis Boardingham.

2023 Florida Football Position Preview: Tight Ends

Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Thursday, Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.

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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 promoting analyst to tight ends coach position

The Gators think they already have a coach qualified to lead the team’s tight ends, so Florida is promoting from within to fill the empty spot.

The Florida Gators are promoting from within to fill the tight ends coaching spot left by [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] after his departure to the NFL. Defensive analyst [autotag]Russ Callaway[/autotag] is being promoted, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Callaway played quarterback for Valdosta State but tore his ACL twice from 2009 to 2010 and followed his father’s footsteps as a coach. Callaway’s dad, Neil, was the head coach at Alabama-Birmingham at the time. After serving as a student assistant at VSU his senior year, he served as a defensive assistant for Alabama during back-to-back championship seasons in 2011 and 2012. Billy Napier was also an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2011 and Callaway was coaching under then-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Kirby Smart.

After Alabama, Callaway coached wide receivers and was the recruiting coordinator for two years at Murray State. He moved on to Samford, where he lasted five years as a wide receivers coach and then quarterbacks coach. Callaway made his way back to the SEC in 2020 as a senior offensive assistant and analyst for LSU and then worked with the New York Giants in 2021 before joining Billy Napier’s staff as a defensive analyst.

Although Callaway was working with Florida’s defense in 2022, he should transition into his new role seamlessly. He’s worked with pass catchers before and produced great results. He’ll be working with a group that didn’t perform up to expectations a season ago but should have a bit more depth in 2023.

Juniors [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] and [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] served as starters a year ago and are both returning, and [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] is also back on campus. [autotag]Arlis Boardignham[/autotag] didn’t play a game last season, but he could be a factor in his redshirt freshman year. Fellow 2022 signee [autotag]Hayden Hansen[/autotag] also returns, and [autotag]Andrew Savaiinaea[/autotag] has transitioned from defensive end to tight end.

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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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Taking a look at Florida’s depth chart ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl

The Las Vegas Bowl is almost here and Florida is working with a different look roster after a busy start to the transfer season.

Florida’s depth chart for the Las Vegas Bowl looks a whole lot different from the opening-day roster, but that’s expected as players leave for the draft, enter the transfer portal and suffer injuries over the course of the year.

Starting with the offense, Florida is down players at every position but running back. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is making his first start at quarterback with [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] headed to the NFL, and walk-on [autotag]Kyle Engel[/autotag] true will serve as the backup. True freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] is listed as the third-string option under center.

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] are the only available running backs on Saturday, but that duo has the bulk of Florida’s carries over the season so it shouldn’t be a problem.

[autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] is preparing for the draft, which means [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] is the new No. 1 out wide for the Gators. True freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] gets the No. 2 spot (and his second start) with [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] in the transfer portal, and [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is still in the slot. Despite losing some talent from the receivers room, Florida is in an okay spot heading into the bowl game.

At tight end, [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is still dealing with an injury, meaning [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] is the starter once again. [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] was productive as the team’s second tight end towards the end of the season and will get another shot to audition for next year against Oregon State.

Florida’s offensive line features a new face: Redshirt freshman [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], who will get his first start at right guard with O’Cyrus Torrence headed to the pros. Left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] is also going to the NFL, but he could start in the bowl game and is officially listed as an “or” option along with [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag]. [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinglsey Eguakun[/autotag] remain at left guard and center, and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] returns to the right tackle spot. Christian Williams could see an increase in snaps as the primary backup for either guard spot with [autotag]Richie Leonard[/autotag] injured.

Now on to the defense.

Florida’s defensive line looks the same as it was through the final few games of the season: [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Princely Umanimielen[/autotag] at defensive end, [autotag]Desmond Watson [/autotag]at nose tackle and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland J[/autotag]r. at the JACK linebacker spot. The big change in the front seven comes at [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]’s linebacker spot which now belongs to [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag]. [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] is the other starting linebacker, but expect [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] to get some work in too.

In the secondary, [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] remain as Florida’s starting cornerbacks, and [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] will get another run at their respective safety spots. [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] is stepping in for an injured [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] at the STAR, but that shouldn’t disrupt the defense too much.

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Despite falling to FSU, Billy Napier is proud of the fight his team put up

Event though the Gators came up short against the Seminoles, Florida head coach Billy Napier remains proud of his team that fought until the very end of the regular season.

Florida’s 2022 regular season came to an end on Friday night with a 45-38 loss to Florida State, but Billy Napier didn’t hang his head at the conclusion of what has been a disappointing season by most Florida fans’ standards.

“I think probably what I’m most proud of is how hard the players played in the game,” Napier opened his post-game press conference. “They put it on the line, I think across the board. It wasn’t always pretty, but you’re talking about a group that I’m on the sideline, I watched it with my own two eyes, and they played the game of football the right way.

“I’ve got nothing but respect and admiration for our players. The effort, the physicality, the mental toughness. This is a group that’s made a ton of progress as people. Relative to making up a team, having a team, having a group that cares for each other, there’s a legitimate brotherhood, right? Like I would do anything for a teammate in that locker room, and I think that showed up tonight.”

Napier admitted that a few key plays could’ve won Florida the game and that the team simply wasn’t good enough on Friday to win, but he didn’t forget to mention the good he saw from the team, specifically “the intangibles.” Clearly emotional, Napier admitted that plenty of the players were taking the loss just as hard in the locker room. For returning players, internalizing this experience and remembering it to fuel next year’s contest is paramount.

“A tough one to swallow, but we’re going to get better,” he said. “We’re going to improve. We’re going to use that experience.”

[autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] received some praise from his head coach during the post-game presser. Napier said they liked the matchup in the slot and went to it a few times. That might be a bit of an understatement. Pearsall finished with a game-high 148 receiving yards and two touchdowns on five receptions and nine targets. In fact, Pearsall was the only receiver that Richardson connected with over the course of the game. Tight ends [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] and [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] brought in the other four receptions on the day.

“(Pearsall) passed the final test on Friday,” he said. “He was moving through protocal during the week, he felt fine, but obviously we are going to dot all the Is and cross all the Ts. He was able to play and certainly made an impact in the game. He’s a great competitor and certainly a guy that’s made our team better.”

Napier certainly wasn’t upset with his team’s 460 offensive yards, but he did acknowledge Florida’s struggles containing Jordan Travis. Still, the message remained positive. Napier closed the press conference by talking about Florida’s resiliency and ability to come back in the second half.

“I really believe it speaks to the progress we made.” he said. “There have been a lot times in the season where they could have just laid done and started pointing fingers and making excuses. That’s probably what I’m most proud of is the toughness that this group has shown, the resiliency as competitors. This game requires you to stick together when it gets thick. This is a cut-throat game.”

There are plenty of fans in Gator Nation that are unhappy with a 6-6 finish, but Florida’s first-year head coach closed the regular season by repeating the phrase he had clung to all night. “I’m proud of the way those kids competed in the game,” he said as he slammed his fist down on the table to make a point.

Rebuilding and changing the culture at a university takes time, and Napier proved that he has the team on the right path even if the season didn’t go the way anyone wanted it to. Let’s see what he can do in year two with Florida.

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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: Shorter returns from injury, Henderson out

The Gators are getting one starting receiver back this weekend but are losing another to injury. Check out the team’s depth chart ahead of the matchup with Vanderbilt.

The Florida Gators are getting back their top receiver, [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], this week, but they’ll also be down their No. 2 at the position with [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] making his way to the injury list.

Shorter has missed the past two weeks with an injury, but he’s now expected to return to his starting role with [autotag]Marcus Burke[/autotag] at the other wide receiver spot. True freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag], who made his first career start for Florida against South Carolina and currently has the fifth-most receiving yards of any pass catcher on the roster, is listed behind Shorter as a second-string option. He was thrust into a starting role when Shorter and [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] hit the injury report, but it appears that Burke will get a shot this week.

Henderson has served as Florida’s punt returner for most of the year, so slot receiver Ricky Pearsall will step in to fill that role while he is out.

[autotag]Ja’Markis Weston[/autotag] is making is debut on the depth chart this week as a third-string option at receiver behind Pearsall and [autotag]Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman[/autotag].

Tight end [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is also off the injury report, but he’ll serve as the team’s third-string option, presumably to ease him back into playing time. [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] is the listed starter with [autotag]Jonathon Odom[/autotag] behind him. Odom scored his first career touchdown last weekend.

Kicker [autotag]Trey Smack[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] also remain on the injury report. Smack has been sidelined for two weeks now and was seen warming up before the South Carolina game but he wasn’t able to go. Moore’ season is over following surgery and the team hopes to get him back for offseason workouts.

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