Tag: Jack Miller III

Florida a ‘serious contender’ for this top transfer portal QB

The Gators are considered “serious contenders” for Grayson McCall, one of the top transfer QBs available in the portal.

The Florida Gators are in the mix for former Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, with On3’s Pete Nakos reporting Monday that the Orange and Blue are “serious contenders” for the transfer quarterback.

According to On3’s transfer portal rankings, McCall is the No. 4 quarterback in the portal and the No. 19 overall. He is behind recent Kentucky commit and former NC State quarterback Devin Leary (No. 1), former Virginia quarterback Brendan Armstrong (No. 2), and former Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders (No. 3).

Florida is in desperate need of reinforcements in its quarterback room. With [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] declaring for the NFL draft and [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag]’s dismissal from the football program, Florida is left with just two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster: [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag], who started the Las Vegas Bowl game (and was underwhelming in his Orange and Blue debut) and freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag], a former three-star prospect from Tulsa, Oklahoma. [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], a top prospect in the 2023 class and Florida commit, would be the third scholarship quarterback on the roster.

McCall would be a good fit for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his offensive system. Having started 34 games across four seasons at Coastal Carolina, McCall is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation amassing over 9,000 scrimmage yards and tallying 94 touchdowns.

A three-time Sun Belt player of the year, Napier is familiar with McCall from his time at Louisiana. Bringing in a top transfer quarterback to compete with Miller and, potentially, Rashada after he enrolls for the spring semester would be a big boost for the program.

Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 21. The Florida Gators currently have the No. 9 class in 2023, with 17 of their 21 commitments coming from four-star prospects, according to On3.

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Florida’s top wide receiver still deciding between draft and returning

Getting receiver Ricky Pearsall back for another year would be huge for the Gators, but he could still end up declaring for the NFL draft.

The Florida Gators have already lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal and NFL draft, but one of the biggest remaining questions for the team following a Las Vegas Bowl is what the future holds for wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag].

The NFL draft is calling, but Pearsall could return for his final year of eligibility if he thinks he can boost his draft stock. Pro Football Focus gave Pearsall the highest marks of any receiver on the team this season. He also ranks fourth in the SEC at publishing time.

With Justin Shorter NFL-bound, Florida could use Pearsall’s return to help guide the incoming freshman class, but the decision is entirely up to him. Pearsall didn’t go too deep into his thought process after the Las Vegas Bowl, but it sounds like he’s still making a decision.

“There’s a lot of aspects that go into that,” Pearsall said. “I’m still thinking about it and I’m being patient with it. I love being here and that’s a really important aspect for me and my decision. I love coach and all my teammates, so I’m proud of these guys.”

Pearsall said he was proud of quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] specifically despite a rough performance in the bowl game, but Florida’s transfer activity could help him decide whether he stays or not. The Gators have emerged as a serious contender for Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall, and landing an elite transfer in the portal could give Pearsall the arm he needs to show off for NFL scouts as a premiere receiver in the SEC.

Gator Nation will be following Pearsall’s activity closely until he makes a decision. Keeping him for another year would be a huge boost to what could be a very inexperienced offense.

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PHOTOS: Florida football’s Las Vegas Bowl loss vs. Oregon State

Take a look at some of the best photo highlights from the Florida Gators’ XXX vs. Oregon State Beavers in Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.

Florida football hit a brick wall in the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl against the Oregon State Beavers, who almost shut the Gators out for the first time since 1988 en route to a 30-3 win on Saturday afternoon. To be perfectly honest, it was a game the Orange and Blue faithful will want to forget as their beloved gridiron warriors looked impotent on the field in Sin City despite almost snapping the scoring streak.

The running game went limp and quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] looked way out of his element against the top-20-ranked Beavers, who simply had an answer for everything Billy Napier threw at them with his shorthanded squad. It was clear from the opening series that the Gators were not going to finish the season on a high note.

Take a look below at some of the best photographs from Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl loss for the Florida Gators against the Oregon State Beavers.

Major takeaways from Florida’s embarrassing Las Vegas Bowl loss vs Oregon State

The Gators didn’t stand a chance against Oregon State on Saturday, but at least now the team can move on to next year. There’s always the scoring streak, right?

Florida’s nightmare season has finally come to an end, and the team is down about 40 players from the start of the year. Armed with that knowledge, it may come as no surprise Florida was embarrassed by Oregon State on Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl, 30-3.

It was ugly on all fronts, but the offense looked particularly inept against a Beavers team giving it all to secure the third 10-win season in program history. In the end, Oregon State completed its task easily and almost held the Gators scoreless — something that hasn’t happened since 1988. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag]’s audition clearly didn’t go as planned, and now the panic meter for Florida to get a quarterback in the transfer portal is at an all-time high.

The offensive line also needs retooling after losing its anchor, [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag], to the NFL. In truth, the whole team has things to work on over the offseason after losing like this, but that’s expected in Year 1 of a rebuild, right? Billy Napier is doing things his way, and his way has a track record of working.

Here’s what we learned from Florida’s Las Vegas Bowl loss to Oregon State.

Social media hype ahead of Florida’s Las Vegas Bowl matchup

Last game day of the season. Here’s the social media buzz ahead of Florida’s Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Oregon State.

The final game of Florida’s 2022 season is finally here and Gator Nation is ready to end things on a positive note after an up-and-down year. UF has a chance to close out the first year of the Billy Napier era the same way it started it — with a win over a ranked Pac-12 opponent.

The big difference between Florida’s game against Utah and its Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Oregon State is depth. The Gators are down a good number of starters and depth players thanks to the upcoming NFL draft and transfer portal departures. Most notably, quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] is sitting out to preserve his health for the draft, and there’s no telling what [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] will look like in his first collegiate start.

Still, Florida will push through those issues and fight tooth and nail to upset an Oregon State team that’s ranked No. 16 on the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The good news is that the Beavers are also playing their backup quarterback after an injury and subsequent transfer put them into a tight spot.

Here’s what experts and fans are saying ahead of the big game.

Here’s what ESPN thinks you should know about Las Vegas Bowl

Here’s what ESPN thinks about this afternoon’s game.

The 2022 Las Vegas Bowl is nearly here with the Florida Gators and Oregon State Beavers queued up to face each other in Sin City on Saturday. It will be the first time the two schools have ever faced each other on the football field as well as the first game ever played in Nevada for the Gators while also representing the first time Florida has faced two Pac-12 teams in the same season.

Ahead of the final gridiron game of the season for both programs ESPN’s Andrea Adelson chimed in along with her colleagues for their guide to this year’s bowl games. Here is what she had to offer on the matchup in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon.

Oregon State is going for its first 10-win season since 2006 after a surprising season, one that earned coach Jonathan Smith a new six-year contract. While the Beavers should be close to full strength, the opposite is true for Florida, which will be without starting quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], All-American guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and a host of other players who have either decided to opt out of the game or enter the transfer portal. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is expected to make his first career start for the Gators at quarterback after [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] was dismissed from the team. Miller threw only 14 career passes at his previous stop, Ohio State.

The 2022 Las Vegas Bowl is set to kick off inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m. EST with ESPN2 carrying the television broadcast and the Gators IMG Sports Network covering the radio broadcast.

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Who’s next at QB for Florida? Here are some transfer portal options

Here are some of the top names to keep an eye on in the transfer portal as the Gators look for their next signal-caller.

Florida football faces some serious attrition at the quarterback position after the departure of starter [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] to the NFL draft and the dismissal of [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] from the program due to criminal charges. Add the revocation of 2023 recruit [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag]’ scholarship due to unacceptable behavior, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has quite a pickle to deal with this offseason.

The good news is the program has done very well bolstering its depth under center for the long term, earning commitments from 2023 five-star signal-caller [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] as well as 2024’s [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].

Unfortunately, there is only [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] and a few other untested young gunslingers to help bridge the quarterback room in the interim, which means the Gators will need to dip into the NCAA transfer portal for at least one potential starter in 2023.

Take a look below at the list of potential transfer portal targets Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre put together in the second edition of his hot board, along with some relevant rankings and stats to go along with them.

Sports Illustrated’s one player to watch for Florida in Las Vegas Bowl

This running back isn’t just the player to watch, he’s likely the future of Florida football.

Florida football closes out the 2022 campaign on Saturday afternoon against the Oregon State Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl. The two teams come into the game in completely different states of affairs with the Gators limping over the finish line carrying a .500 record while OSU looks to close out a fine season that has them sitting at No. 16 in the Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the AP Poll.

With a handful of players sitting out or otherwise missing the bowl game the Orange and Blue will go into battle with a short-handed roster — particularly at the quarterback position, where third-stringer [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is expected to make his first appearance on the year. But it is not the man under center who carries the most intrigue entering the matchup.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson recently published his list of players to watch on each bowl team, focusing on one particular member of each squad. For Florida, true freshman running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] stood out as the athlete most likely to open some eyes. Here is what he had to offer on the Gators’ backfield beast.

You may be familiar with the older Etienne brother, Travis, who starred at Clemson and is currently starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But his younger brother Trevor Etienne is every bit the live wire that his sibling was.

Anyone who has watched UF this fall has seen glimpses of brilliance in the young running back’s game, giving many the impression that the younger brother of the former college standout and current NFL starter represents the future of Florida football. Etienne will get his chance to display his talents in front of a national audience in Sin City.

The 2022 Las Vegas Bowl is set to kick off inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m. EST with ESPN2 carrying the television broadcast and the Gators IMG Sports Network covering the radio broadcast.

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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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USA TODAY Sports sees UF among teams in search of transfer portal QB

USA TODAY Sports sees the Gators as major players in the transfer portal at the quarterback position.

Florida football is currently dealing with significant depth issues at the quarterback position after starter [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] declared for the 2023 NFL draft while his backup [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] was dismissed from the team following child pornography charges. To make matters worse, four-star 2023 commit [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag] had his scholarship offer rescinded after a video of him using racist slurs surfaced in the media.

It has not been a great time to be a Gators signal caller of late. But at the same time, a tremendous opportunity has opened up in Gainesville for the right quarterback to fit into [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s system.

According to USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, who published his 10 Power Five teams looking for gunslingers in the transfer portal, Florida is among those in most need of some help via college football’s de facto free agency system, landing at No. 10 on the list. Here is what he has to offer on the Gators’ situation.

The Gators recently hosted Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, indicating coach Billy Napier’s need for a plug-and-play starter after Anthony Richardson opted into the NFL draft. Mertz is an interesting recruit not just for his experience – he battled through extended runs of inconsistent play as a multiple-year starter for the Badgers – but for being more of a traditional pocket passer. If the Gators sign Mertz or someone with a similar skill set, what would that indicate about how the offense will look in 2023?

The Badgers transfer certainly appears to be one of the best bets for the program at this point but there are still a lot of moving parts to address. However, the long story short is that the Gators will need to seek help from somewhere because 2023 commit [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] will unlikely be ready for the SEC grind while [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is still a wildcard.

Eventually, someone will have to step up, and it is very unlikely that person is currently on the roster.

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