Graham Mertz headlines a group of Gators who are out for Week 2 against Samford.
Florida football goes into Week 2 a bit banged up against the Samford Bulldogs.
The Gators will be without several of their key starters, the most notable being quarterback Graham Mertz who suffered a concussion last week against Miami and was placed in concussion protocol.
Head coach Billy Napier said on Wednesday that Mertz was progressing but it’s just not enough time to be ready for Week 2.
“Graham did not practice today,” Napier said on Wednesday. “He is farther into the protocol, and he’s doing better but he’s not quite — he hasn’t quite passed the final test. He’s doing better, but he’s not quite there yet.”
Five-star freshman DJ Lagway will be taking the place of Mertz and start at quarterback against Samford and will get a chance to show Florida fans his talent.
Napier had plans for Jackson to be a key part of the Gators offense this season.
“Kahleil Jackson needs no motivation,” Napier said about Jackson’s mindset. “He’s self-motivated; he’s a grinder. He’s always been out to prove himself, and he’s done that. He has the respect of myself, our staff, his teammates.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida will be without some of their key defenders in the secondary.
Junior cornerback Devin Moore and redshirt-senior safety Asa Turner are out for Week 2. Moore is dealing with a lower-body injury and Turner has a shoulder injury.
Napier said that sophomore Dijon Johnson and redshirt-senior DJ Douglas will see playing time.
“Guys like Didi (Dijon) Johnson, will be in the rotation,” Napier said. “DJ Douglas will get more time. We’ve got some depth there.”
Napier went on to say, “So I mean, I think you just see some of those players that maybe played 12 plays, they’ll play 25 this week. We’ve got confidence in those players. I think it’s an opportunity, and they’ll be ready.”
Florida (0-1) will go up against the Samford Bulldogs (0-1) on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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Competition is running wild in Florida’s wide receivers room heading into 2024. Behind the top three, which other receivers will step up?
Next up in Gators Wire’s annual position preview series are the wide receivers, and the 18-man position room might be one of the most interesting at the University of Florida heading into 2024.
The big question is which pass catcher will step into first-round pick Ricky Pearsall‘s shoes as the top option for Graham Mertz. Billy Napier brought in two transfers to fill out the top of the depth chart, but it’s sophomore Eugene Wilson III who has played the most snaps under Napier.
There’s also plenty of room for competition when it comes to the second and third strings. Several young players are looking to get on the field and find their role on the team.
Here’s a look at each of the receivers on Florida’s roster.
Top option: No. 3 Eugene Wilson III (So.)
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
Year
GP
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
Long
AVG/G
2023
10
61
583
8.8
6
30
53.8
Wilson is Florida’s top returning receiver on the depth chart and should receive the most targets of anyone in the position room. He broke out in the second half of the season, ending 2023 with a team-high 6.1 receptions per game.
He split time between the slot (200 snaps) and lining up out wide last season (235 snaps). Wilson is a do-everything kind of player and Billy Napier will draw up a few plays to exploit his skill set. There’s quickness and speed here. Wilson has a chance to be one of the SEC’s best, but he’ll have to beat most teams’ top defensive back now that he’s WR1.
Second option: No. 6 Elijhah Badger (R-Sr.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Year
GP
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
Long
AVG/G
2020*
1
0
0
0.0
0
0
0.0
2021*
11
7
61
8.7
0
22
5.5
2022*
12
70
866
12.4
7
9
72.2
2023*
11
65
713
11.0
3
17
64.8
Total
35
142
1,640
11.5
10
22
46.9
* = while at ASU
[autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag] transferred from Arizona State during the offseason, and he’s quickly moved to the top of Florida’s depth chart. Similar to Wilson, Badger can line up both inside and outside, giving Napier plenty of versatility on offense.
Expect Badger to set up out wide most of the time. Florida needs a deep threat to keep the defense honest on most snaps, and Badger’s been putting together highlight plays.
“He is explosive, he is athletic, he can run after the catch, he has a vertical threat to his game and he’s got play strength and he’s got length,” Napier said. “He’s a 6-1 guy but he’s got great great length.”
Starting Slot: No. 17 Chimere Dike (Sr.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Year
GP
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
Long
AVG/G
2020*
7
12
189
15.8
1
0
27.0
2021*
13
19
272
14.3
1
9
20.9
2022*
13
47
689
14.7
6
12
62.6
2023*
11
19
328
17.3
1
30
29.8
Total
44
97
1,478
15.2
9
30
* = while at Wisconsin
Rounding out that group of starting receivers is Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Chimere Dike[/autotag]. Mertz already has a connection with Dike from their time together as Badgers, but now both are in the prime of their college careers.
Dike’s most productive year with Wisconsin came with Mertz at quarterback in 2022, and it’s easy to see why he followed his former teammate after regressing in production last season. There’s a level of familiarity between the two that’s hard to recreate.
“The good thing about football is even in different offenses, a lot of the concepts have carryover, a lot of similar routes are ran. So, there’ll be a new concept (Florida’s) running that it feels exactly like one that we’ve ran on 100 times before, so I’m definitely fortunate to have that. Obviously, he’s continued to get better as a player and I’m excited to be here and be able to work.”
Second String: No. 11 Aidan Mizell (R-Fr.), No. 14 Andy Jean (R-Fr.) and No. 22 Kahleil Jackson (R-Jr.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Here’s where the competition begins, according to Napier.
The second and third-string units inside the receivers room should be fluid throughout the season. Napier likes to play guys who are earning snaps, and he’s repeated several times through fall camp that this is one of the most competitive position groups in Gainesville.
Redshirt freshmen [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] and [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] are the two breakout candidates here. Neither played much last season. Jean only appeared in four games — catching six passes for 97 yards — as injuries kept him sidelined. The good news is he was able to redshirt and retain a year of eligibility.
The same goes for Mizell, who appeared in just two games last season. Mizell missed much of his senior year of high school with an injury, so he was always likely to redshirt last season. A true speedster, Mizell has a chance to become a serious deep threat for Florida. He can burn most cornerbacks and planned to run track at the university at one point.
Then there’s redshirt junior [autotag]Kahleil Jackson[/autotag], who reeled in 21 receptions for 251 yards. A former walk-on who was added to the scholarship roster in 2022, Jackson made several highlight-worthy plays last season for Florida. It’s hard to tell if the young guys will pass him by, especially with transfers moving ahead of him on the depth chart, but Jackson should be a frequent face on the offense early on in the year.
Reserves: No. 0 Ja’Quavion Fraziars (Sr.), No. 30 Taylor Spierto (R-Jr.) and Marcus Burke (R-Jr.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Next up are the reserves, who are likely to fit into that third-string role with some flexibility to move both ways on the depth chart.
[autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Burke[/autotag] are the two tallest receivers on the team. The Gators have more speed than size at receiver, so both can earn snaps out wide if they prove useful.
Fraziars has hauled in 15 receptions for 143 yards and three touchdowns over four years at Florida, and Burke is at 12 catches for 201 yards over three seasons. A good year for both would be doubling that production, but that’s far from guaranteed.
Then, there’s Taylor Spierto, another walk-on who earned a scholarship last year. He’s most a special teams guy, but he did catch two balls for 17 yards last year.
These three are the rare remnants from the Dan Mullen era in the position room, but they wouldn’t be in Gainesville if they weren’t bought in on Napier. Hopefully, he’ll give them chances to shine, knowing that all three are likely to move on after this season.
Freshmen: No. 4 TJ Abrams (Fr.) and No. 10 Tank Hawkins
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
[autotag]TJ Abrams[/autotag] and [autotag]Tank Hawkins[/autotag] are both true freshmen, but they could end up ahead of the three reserves on the depth chart by season’s end.
Hawkins is the one standing out early. He scored twice during Florida’s first scrimmage and he has verified track speed.
“(Hawkins) got here in January. He’s had a great offseason,” Napier said. “He’s definitely playing faster. His skill level is improving. He’s getting comfortable. Like we’ve talked about before, we kind of have those top three and then you got this group that’s competing. He’s in that group.”
Abrams has a “running back build”, according to Napier, but he’s firmly in the group of receivers competing for a spot in the rotation this year.
In truth, both of these guys probably belong above the reserves on our list, but age over beauty and all that, right?
Walk-Ons
Believe it or not, Florida has seven walk-on receivers on its roster this season.
The oldest of the bunch are redshirt sophomores Alex Gonzalez and Zak Sedaros. Gonzalez joined the team as a preferred walk-on in the summer of 2022 after an in-state prep career at Lehigh Senior near Fort Myers. Sedaros also joined the Gators in the summer of 2022, but without the “preferred” tag. He is also a member of the track and field team at Florida.
Next up are the redshirt freshmen, Jaden Edgecomb, Brian Green Jr. and Jackson Wade. Both Green and Wade joined the program as preferred walk-ons last summer and redshirted after making zero appearances. Wade played high school ball at North Paulding in Georgia, and Green comes from Orange Park near the Jacksonville area.
Edgecomb was selected by Billy Napier for the Louis Oliver Outstanding non-Scholarship Player Award from the Black Student-Athlete Community.
There isn’t much hope for playing time for the four listed above, but the final two walk-ons in Florida’s receiver room are all new to the program so there’s very little chance they see the field this season.
David Schmidt is a local kid from Newberry High. He was an all-state receiver his junior year and a special teams MVP in 2023. The reason for so many walk-ons is to provide depth at multiple positions during practice. Schmidt fills that role nicely.
DeBraun Hampton played high school ball with [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], so there’s always a chance he blossoms over the next few years.
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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.
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.
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.
The Gators will be a little shorthanded at wide receiver for Saturday’s game.
It has been a tough week for Florida football’s leading wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], who was limited in practice due to a lingering hamstring issue. Just prior to game time, it appears that the decision to sit him in the road matchup with the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, Texas, was made by the team according to Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner.
While Shorter joined his teammates on the field for warmups, it was clear that he was not set to play given that he was not wearing cleats — a typical indicator as to whether a player will be active for the game or not. Sophomore [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] are the most likely replacements for the redshirt junior as both are listed as backups on the Gators’ depth chart.
So far this season, the former transfer from Penn State has amassed a team-high 471 yards on 21 catches for two touchdowns — including an epic 75-yard bomb from [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] on the first play on offense against the Eastern Washington Eagles in Week 5.
We know Florida will have to make up for the loss of Brenton Cox Jr. this week, but that wasn’t the only change made to the depth chart ahead of Texas A&M.
There were a number of notable changes on the weekly update to Florida’s depth chart, most of which had to do with injuries and departures from the team.
Following the departure of JACK linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]., [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr[/autotag]. is now listed as the starter with [autotag]Lloyd Summerall III[/autotag] and David Reese behind him. Summerall should be the No. 2, but he is coming off an injury.
Nickelback Kamar Wilcoxson’s third-string spot at the STAR position was left blank this week.
Wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] might be the most notable addition to the injury report. Florida’s leading receiver is listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest with a lower-body injury. Shorter ranks in the top 10 for receiving yards among SEC players and has hauled in a pair of touchdown passes this year.
Expect sophomore [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] to receive an increased workload if Shorter can’t go.
Tight end [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is also dealing with an injury and won’t play on Saturdays. An Instagram post that was later deleted sparked some fear that he’d be out for the rest of the year, but Billy Napier said there’s still hope for him to return this year.
“Keon, I don’t know where that got blown out of — that’s wild,” Napier said with a smile. “Keon’ got a little bit of a knee (injury). Nothing long-term there. It’s very much to be determined based off his rehab and recovery right now. We don’t expect him to be available this weekend, but long-term no issue there.”
Inside linebacker [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] is questionable to play as well, but the corps of [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] should hold up with true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and sophomore [autotag]Derek Wing[/autotag]o behind them.
Linebacker [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag], tight ends [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Elksnis[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Devin Moore [/autotag]were all listed as out once again. Napier provided an update on Moore following a shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
The Gators caught a break — or lack thereof — as Pearsall’s injury is not nearly as bad as it could have been.
For a moment on Wednesday, the Gator Nation held its collective breath after learning wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] went down with a foot injury during practice. The initial reports indicated the transfer from Arizona State was tentatively out indefinitely, dredging up the worst of fears from the Florida fan base.
However, a new day brought good news from the training room. Pearsall was officially diagnosed with two bone bruises on his metatarsal with no structural damage noted in his imaging scans. The prognosis is bright for the 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound pass-catcher, who can resume practice once his discomfort level has receded. For the time being, he is listed day-to-day.
The incoming junior is expected to play a major role in the receiver room for Florida, which returns eight scholarship players, including former transfer [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], who is also expected to make some waves during his junior campaign. Sophomores [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] have also earned compliments on their progress this summer.
At his previous stop at ASU, Pearsall played in all 13 games for the Sun Devils in 2021, leading the team with 580 yards on 48 receptions and four touchdowns receiving. The Tempe native also rushed six times for 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground, exceeding his overall numbers during his first two collegiate seasons.
Fraziars played his freshman season with the Gators in 2020, stuffed deep in the depth chart behind the group of pass-catchers that enabled the high-flying Florida offense. He saw action in seven games but only got one touch in that time. However, his limited playing time in 2020 is hardly indicative of disinterest on the team’s part.
As a recruit, there was never much doubt that Fraziars would be a Gator. They were the first team to offer on him in late 2017 and were considered frontrunners from that time onward. Even after landing a commitment from him, the team was warding off competitors and brought Fraziars to Gainesville for three additional visits before his signing.
The Gators’ offense was gutted by the 2021 NFL draft, leaving plenty of opportunities for an up-and-coming talent to plant their flag. Fraziars isn’t first in line for a starting job, but if he earns one, it will be on his merit as a downfield bully.
“Fraziars has got great ball skills, fabulous hands,” said Florida head coach Dan Mullen during the team’s Spring practice in March. “Big, physical guy, can use his body, really physical blocker and unbelievable ball skills.”
That sentiment was echoed by a Sports Illustrated scouting report from late 2019, which emphasized over and over his vertical ability and length. They also point out the need to improve his route technique, as his tree features few crisp breaks off the vertical step. Even if his development falters, though, he can still find a niche role in Mullen’s offense as a blocker and red zone threat.
On the whole, there’s reason to be excited for Fraziars’ future with the team. With the Gators’ offense largely in flux, he’ll be given an opportunity to grab a spot for himself in the pecking order before the roster’s power vacuum is completely filled.
Video:
Nice route from Gators WR signee, Ja’Quavion Fraziars, especially for a pass catcher of his stature. @_jf1k pic.twitter.com/9UIN0NPuf3
