Tag: Jonathan Odom

Eastern Michigan lands former Florida TE from transfer portal

After four years at the University of Florida, tight end Jonathan Odom is transferring to Eastern Michigan University.

Florida tight end [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] is headed to the MAC West.

After playing in the Swamp for four years (and earning his degree), Odom will look for a more stable role on the field at Eastern Michigan, according to an announcement put out on Twitter Friday night.

Odom overcame an ACL tear suffered last December and was ready for action by the start of the regular season, but he went down again after just four games, presenting the opportunity to redshirt before moving on.

His departure leaves Florida with four scholarship tight ends on the roster. Senior Keon Zipperer will return after missing all of 2023 with a knee injury, redshirt freshmen Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen appear primed to break out even more as sophomores and Tony Livingston should get more snaps in Year 2. Four-star commit Amir Jackson is set to join the program too.

Odom is leaving a crowded position room to become a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Blake Daniels led all tight ends on the team with 149 yards and is out of eligibility. Jere Getzinger hauled in 15 receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Through 25 games with Florida, Odom totaled 16 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

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Florida TE Jonathan Odom to enter NCAA transfer portal

With the 2023 regular season over, NCAA transfer portal announcements have begun with the departure of tight end Jonathan Odom.

With Florida’s 2023 regular season now officially over, the wave of transfer portal announcements has begun.

Kicking off the cycle is redshirt junior tight end Jonathan Odom, who appeared in four games this season and 25 games overall with the program. Primarily a special teams player and reserve tight end, Odom is seeking more playing time now that he’s set to earn his degree in December.

“As many who have followed my journey know, I have had many ups and downs,” Odom wrote in his social media announcement. “But one thing I know is I gave this University and team everything I had every time I stepped on the field, and will forever be grateful for what it has done for me.”

Odom still has two years of eligibility remaining.

Odom’s last appearance with the Gators came on Sept. 30. He entered the team’s concussion protocol after that game and never returned. His 2022 season also ended with an injury, when he tore his ACL in the Las Vegas Bowl.

He ends his tenure in Gainesville with 16 receptions, 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

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Billy Napier provides injury update on Florida tight end

Florida head coach revealed that tight end Jonathan Odom is still in concussion protocol but is working toward a return.

Florida tight end [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] is still in concussion protocol after suffering the head injury against Kentucky on Sept. 30, according to Billy Napier.

The Gators head coach noted that the junior tight end was improving, but isn’t cleared to return just yet. Odom entered the season as the top tight end on Florida’s depth chart after coming back from a torn ACL in December. He reeled in nine catches for 75 yards over four games.

Odom isn’t the only tight end that Florida’s been without for a few weeks. Dante Zanders hasn’t played since Sept. 30, but he is off the injury report this week, according to the depth chart.

With two of the more veteran players in the position room sidelined, redshirt freshmen Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen have stepped up. Napier has praised both over the past few weeks, and Boardingham, in particular, seems like a true pass-catching threat for the Gators.

It will be interesting to see how Zanders and Odom fit in when both are back to 100%.

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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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