Tag: Jacob Copeland

Gators receiving core still at the top of SEC despite losses from last year

Different isn’t always worse. Florida’s receiving core is still at the top of the conference despite losing Pitts and Toney to the NFL.

Most people are quick to mention that Florida’s offense will be different this year without Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney. Different doesn’t mean taking a giant step back though, and The Athletic projects the Gators receivers and tight ends to be the best group in the Southeastern Conference this year.

Replacing Toney, and wearing the coveted No. 1 on his chest, is Jacob Copeland, whose mother famously walked away from the decision table when her son chose UF over Alabama. Copeland has played in 27 games over three years with the team and hauled in 45 receptions for 724 yards and five touchdowns. He could eclipse those numbers this season if he can lower his drop rate and click with new starting quarterback Emory Jones.

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Copeland will have help from Justin Shorter, who is in his second season with the Gators after transferring from Penn State. The former five-star recruit was the top-ranked receiver in Copeland’s class, and the two could be scary for Florida together.

While there’s no replacing a player like Pitts, Kemore Gamble is looking to break out at tight end this season. Keon Zipperer has also seen action in the post-Pitts era, and freshman Nick Elksnis has impressed over fall camp. Tight ends coach Tim Brewster called his group “the most complete room in the country” in early August, and The Athletic agrees for at least the SEC.

Trent Whittemore, Rick Wells and Xzavier Henderson also look to play a role in the passing scheme for Florida, but Jones is expected to throw less often than Trask did.

The Gators own the top spot of The Athletic’s SEC receivers and tight ends rankings, beating out Alabama and Texas A&M. So the next time someone mentions the departures of the big three, remind them that there’s more to come from Florida’s offense.

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These four Gators are on the preseason Coaches All-SEC team

Kaiir Elam continues to collect preseason accolades but who joined him on the preseason Coaches All-SEC Team?

Four Florida Gators were named to the preseason Coaches All-SEC Team on Tuesday. Defensive end Zachary Carter and cornerback Kaiir Elam were selected to the First Team, linebacker Ventrell Miller made the Second Team and receiver Jacob Copeland landed on the Third Team.

Elam’s selection comes as no surprise and just a day after he was named a preseason AP All-American. It’s the latest preseason honor for Carter as well after being named on the media’s preseason All-SEC First Team and the Wuerffel Trophy watchlist. Miller, last year’s team leader in tackles (88), and Copeland earned the same spots on the media’s preseason team.

The defenders named on the list are the anchors of their respective units and will need to have strong seasons if the Gators are to compete for an SEC Championship again. Copeland, a redshirt junior, is looking to break out as the main guy for Emory Jones.

The complete preseason Coaches All-SEC Team can be found on the next page.

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The time is now: It’s finally Jacob Copeland’s turn to shine

Florida will need wide receiver Jacob Copeland to have a strong 2021 after it saw its three best skill-position players leave for the NFL.

Wide receiver Jacob Copeland came to Florida in the 2018 recruiting class as a player who could play three years for the Gators and depart for the NFL because he was a top 100 player nationally. But life has played out differently than expected because he is entering his fourth year with coach Dan Mullen and has seen seven of his skill position teammates be selected in the NFL draft.

This season the Gators will rely on Copeland to be their top receiver after former Florida stars Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes went to the NFL. Mullen affirmed his faith in Copeland by awarding him with the No. 1 jersey. The jersey is a good omen for Copeland because every Florida player who has donned the number has gone on to be a first-round draft pick.

“It’s a really big privilege and I’ll feel like I’ll be accountable for everything that comes with the number,” Copeland said, according to Swamp247.

He added that his mindset has changed since the jersey number change. Copeland said he tries to help the younger receivers out more and make sure they understand everything because it was something he struggled with during his first years at Florida.

“I didn’t understand the development part of what was going on,” he said. “As I got older and seeing what it all took, the receivers, they come on, they catch on slowly, and they learn the process of what the game’s all about.”

However, many college football fans and media experts have doubts about whether the Gators can replace that kind of production from 2020.

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“I don’t too much get into that because I know I got a great receiver coach,” he said. “Coach Billy (Gonzales) going to work us to death. He’s going to always make sure everybody on the same page. He’s going to push you to your limits. As long as I’ve got him in my corner, I feel like I’m going to be good this year, all the receiving corps, at that.”

But one thing is for sure, Copeland is ready.

“He always preached that, he’s going to tell you that all the time,” he said. “Like, ‘Your time might not be now, it might be a week from now, it might be a year from now, two years from now. It’s all come down to when you’re going to be ready for your time to come.'”

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Six Florida players feeling the pressure as fall camp gets started

Here are six Florida players The Athletic believes face the most pressure this season.

Coach Dan Mullen and the Florida football team kicked off their fall camp Friday to prepare for the 2021 season. The Gators’ first game is versus FAU on Sept. 4 in the Swamp. Heading into the new season, Florida enters as a heavy underdog. Only seven out of the 134 voters at SEC Media Days picked the Orange and Blue to repeat as the East Division winner and only one pegged the program to become SEC Champions.

As fall camp kicked off Friday, there are a handful of players trying to cling to their starting spot or prove they deserve to be the No. 1 running back or wide receiver. Here are six players The Athletic believes are feeling the most pressure heading into fall camp.

These four Florida players earned preseason All-SEC honors from the media

A quartet of Gators football players was named to preseason All-SEC teams on Friday.

Four Florida football players were named in total to the three preseason All-SEC teams Friday. Defensive back Kaiir Elam and defensive end Zachary Carter were selected to the first team while linebacker Ventrell Miller and wide receiver Jacob Copeland were designated to the second and third teams, respectively.

This is the second-straight season Elam, Carter and Miller appeared on the preseason All-SEC teams.

Carter has been regarded as the team’s best defensive lineman and lived up to that role in 2020. He recorded 36 tackles, five sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and 12 quarterback hurries.

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Miller led the team in tackles with 88 while adding 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss,  a fumble recovery, three pass breakups and a QB hurry.

Elam was named a preseason second-team All-SEC member like Carter and Miller. The standout defensive back is seen as one of the best NFL draft prospects for the Gators. He turned in 39 tackles, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions in his sophomore campaign.

This is the first year Copeland has been named to any of the three All-SEC teams. He started 11 games at receiver caught 23 catches for 435 yards and three touchdowns.

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This Florida scholarship QB to wear No. 15 for first time since Tim Tebow

With receiver Jacob Copeland moving to No. 1, the door was opened for the quarterback to take over the number worn by Tim Tebow.

For the first time since Tim Tebow roamed about the Florida locker room, a scholarship quarterback will be wearing his hallowed No. 15 jersey. Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson, a Gainesville native and graduate of Eastside High School, will switch to Tebow’s former number in 2021 after wearing No. 2, the jersey he’s worn throughout his entire career, in 2020.

A number of defensive and skill-position players, as well as non-scholarship quarterbacks, have worn No. 15 since Tebow’s departure following the 2009 season, but no scholarship passer has chosen to invite the comparison — that is, until now.

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“I’ve worn No. 2 since little league, through middle school, high school, 2 has always been my number,” Richardson told AllGators on Wednesday. “But the fans encouraged it and I was thinking, ‘why not do it?’ It’s great for marketing and getting the fans involved.

“It’s an honor to even be able to wear this number at the position since Tebow had it. I know, with this number comes great responsibilities and I have to live up to that standard, so why not try to achieve that?”

The number was previously occupied by receiver Jacob Copeland, but on Wednesday it was also announced that Copeland would be taking over the No. 1 jersey that Kadarius Toney wore in 2020.

Since coach Dan Mullen was hired in 2018, the No. 1 jersey has been awarded to one of the top players on offense and defense. With Copeland receiving the offensive honor for the 2021 season, it opened the door for Richardson to make a change as well.

Richardson saw action in four games as a true freshman, going 1 for 2 through the air for 27 yards and a touchdown to go with 61 yards on seven carries on the ground. He enters 2021 as the likely backup to fourth-year quarterback Emory Jones, but with four remaining years of eligibility, he should be a major part of UF’s plans for the future.

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Florida receiver Jacob Copeland finally has chance to become WR1

With Florida’s top-three pass-catchers from 2020 gone, Jacob Copeland has the chance to break out in 2021.

Wide receiver Jacob Copeland was one of Florida’s top signees in coach Dan Mullen‘s 2018 class. However, he didn’t earn as many opportunities as he would have liked his first two seasons because of the depth of the Gators’ receiving room. He sat behind Ole Miss and Ohio State transfers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes in 2018 and 2019.

After Jefferson and other veteran receivers like Tyrie Cleveland, Freddie Swain and Josh Hammond departed for the NFL, Copeland finally earned a starting spot. He hauled in 23 catches with 435 yards and three touchdowns in 2020. His 18.91 yards per catch last season led the team. With Grimes, wide receiver Kadarius Toney and tight end Kyle Pitts gone, Copeland has the opportunity to prove that he’s ready for the NFL.

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Most college football fans likely only remember Copeland because of what occurred during his National Signing Day ceremony in 2018. He chose Florida instead of Alabama or Tennessee. His mother stormed out of the gymnasium displeased with his son’s college choice. If Copeland breaks out this season, the college football world will forget about that incident.

New quarterback and fellow class of 2018 signee Emory Jones will rely on Copeland heavily because of the departure of Pitts, Toney and Grimes. He’s the only starting wideout to return. His teammates Justin Shorter, Xzavier Henderson and Trent Whittemore were the only other receivers to see a significant amount of snaps last season.

If Copeland can stay consistent with his numbers and drop fewer passes, the NFL scouts could consider him a high draft choice in 2022. If not, Gators fans could see him in the Orange and Blue for another season or two.

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Gators lose another receiver for the Cotton Bowl, this time due to COVID

If this trend continues, Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask might not have anyone to throw the ball to by the time kick off rolls around.

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The Florida Gators lost yet another member of their elite receiving corps ahead of their date with the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl this Wednesday night.

Unlike the other three who previously opted out from the New Year’s Six bowl game to pursue their professional aspirations in the National Football League, redshirt sophomore receiver Jacob Copeland will sit out due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests, he announced on Monday via his personal Twitter account.

The multiple positive tests confirm his diagnosis, though it is unclear how much contact he had with his teammates in the intervening period. Presumably, the program has been compliant with COVID-19 protocols and has kept the spread of the virus to a minimum, though we will not know for sure until the game officially starts.

However, if this trend continues, Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask might not have anyone to throw the ball to by the time kick off rolls around.

Copeland set career highs in his second full campaign, catching 23 passes for 435 yards and three touchdowns in nine games, providing Trask another reliable option in the nation’s premier passing game. He is expected to return next season and provide some leadership on a young pass-catching corps that will lose three impact players to the NFL draft.

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Kyle Trask, receivers shoulder big burden for Florida Gators in 2020

The SEC’s 2020 fall football season is fast approaching, with just over three weeks until the opening kickoff despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Southeastern Conference’s 2020 fall football season is fast approaching with just over three weeks until the opening kickoff despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Along with the SEC, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big-12 will also get their seasons underway on a Saturday not too far in the distant future.

As we get closer and closer to that date, questions begin to arise about how the season may look. Pontificators will do as they are wont to and give predictions on how the schedule will play out, as we have seen around the media already. Sports Illustrated took a stab at this inquiry on Tuesday as its staff put together a roundtable assessment of each school’s team.

Here is what Zach Goodall, publisher of Allgators, had to ask about the Gators this fall.

Will Florida be able to replicate its pass-game success from a year ago, as Kyle Trask enters a season as a starting quarterback for the first time since his freshman year of high school?

Stepping in for the injured Feleipe Franks, the Gators finished with the nation’s No. 16 passing offense with Trask at the helm. Five key contributors, all having caught at least 20 passes in 2019, are now in the NFL, leaving Trask with several high-potential weapons—and also loads of inexperienced depth—at wide receiver. Tight end Kyle Pitts offers a huge boost, but Florida will depend on Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland, Kadarius Toney and others to take a big step forward in Dan Mullen’s spread offense.

Mullen appears confident Trask can overcome the loss of veteran production, noting his “graduate-level” progressions last week. Without a spring camp amid the pandemic, however, Trask and his young weapons missed key time to jell. If that lost time proves pivotal, Florida will know early on: The Gators face the reigning No. 29 and No. 31 defenses in the nation—Texas A&M and LSU, respectively—back to back in Weeks 3 and 4.

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Report: Multiple Florida Gators football players considering opt-out

WRs Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney and Jacob Copeland, as well as DE Zachary Carter, are considering opting out of the 2020 season.

When the Florida Gators began their fall practice schedule on Monday, they were without several key players.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated-AllGators, receivers Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney and Jacob Copeland, as well as defensive end Zachary Carter, are all holding out currently and considering opting out of the 2020 football season due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

It’s unclear at this time what conditions, if any, these players have for returning to the team.

Coach Dan Mullen addressed their absence and the possibility that they could opt-out of the season on Monday.

“We had a couple guys not practice today, but we’ll see how that goes moving forward for us. But, you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have guys opt out. I’m going to support them fully,” Mullen said on Monday. “Really wouldn’t be surprised if we had coaches opt-out, to be honest with you. Coaches are at such high risk because of the age group that they’re in. So statistically I think coaches are probably even at a higher risk. I think when you look at those things, but we’ll figure it out. We’re going to adapt to whatever happens as we continue to move forward.”

Mullen also said he has communicated with the players, though he didn’t mention them by name.

The three receivers were all expected to see starting reps this fall. Grimes and Toney both considered leaving after their junior seasons for the NFL Draft before deciding to return. If they aren’t a part of the team this fall, it would put Florida’s passing offense in a tough spot on short notice.

Defensively, Carter was expected to take over a starting role on the outside this season. Without him, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham would need to hope Georgia transfer Brenton Cox, Jr. is ready to shoulder that load.

It remains to be seen what will happen with those four players or if they will be joined by any other teammates, but it will be a story to watch over the next month as we progress toward a planned Sep. 26 start date.

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