Tag: Kemore Gamble

2023 NFL draft: Giants undrafted rookie free agent tracker

The rush to sign undrafted rookie free agents is underway! Here’s a live 2023 tracker for the New York Giants.

The 2023 NFL draft has officially come to a close and the frenzy to sign undrafted rookie free agents (UDFA) is underway.

For general manager Joe Schoen and the New York Giants, they’ll look to add several players prior to the start of rookie mini-camp which will take place from May 5-6 in East Rutherford.

“I think you tie in free agency and you tie in the draft and I’m excited to go upstairs and see where we are on some undrafted free agents,” general manager Joe Schoen said after the draft.

It’s important to note that UDFA signings are not announced by the NFL, so some initial reports may be incorrect, changed or, unfortunately, outright faked. Until the Giants/NFL themselves announce the signings, these should all be considered rumors and subject to change.

As signings and rookie mini-camp invites are reported, we’ll update this article. So keep refreshing.

Rumored signings:

  • Michigan CB Gemon Green (link)
  • Toledo LB Dyontae Johnson (link)
  • Ole Miss LB Troy Brown (link)
  • Illinois QB Tommy DeVito (link)
  • West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (link)
  • Pittsburgh DE Habakkuk Baldonado (link)
  • Charlotte LS Cam Lyons (link)
  • Washington S Alex Cook (link)

Rumored mini-camp tryouts:

  • Iowa State LB O’Rien Vance (link)
  • Baylor OL Khalil Keith (link)
  • North Dakota WR Garett Maag (link)
  • Central Michigan WR Carlos Carriere (link)
  • UCF TE Kemore Gamble (link)
  • ECU TE Ryan Jones (link)
  • Stony Brook DE Eric Black (link)
  • Wisconsin DB Justin Clark (link)
  • Texas WR Tarique Milton (link)
  • Northern Arizona S Morgan Vest (link)
  • Augustana S Eli Weber (link)
  • Holy Cross RB Peter Oliver (link)
  • N.C. State DB Cyrus Fagan (link)
  • UTSA OL Ahofitu Maka (link)
  • Temple DL Xach Gill (link)
  • Memphis CB Sylvonta Oliver (link)
  • Hawaii TE Caleb Phillips (link)
  • Maryland DL Ami Finau (link)
  • Riverside City College OL Cobe Bryant (link)
  • Northern Illinois DE Izayah Green (link)
  • Air Force QB Haaziq Daniels (link)
  • Clemson QB Hunter Johnson (link)
  • Union College RB Ike Irabor (link)
  • Canadian DL Lwal Uguak (link)
  • Colorado LB Quinn Perry (link)

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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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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

Florida’s tight end room has seen a complete overhaul since the end of last season. Here’s a look at the group heading into 2022.

Next up in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida Gators football roster is the tight end room.

Last year’s starter [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] was one of the many players that left the team via the transfer portal. While he suits up for the UCF Knights this season, the Gators will test out some new names at the position. Senior [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is the returning player in the room with the most experience, but a trio of defensive players made the switch to tight end after two others went down with an injury in the spring.

Billy Napier added a pair of tight ends in the 2022 recruiting cycle too, so there’s plenty of depth on the team at this point. The big task for Napier will be to figure out which players deserve the most playing time. Most of these guys are relatively unproven, and Napier likes to run a lot of two-tight-end sets to engage the run game.

There seems to be a clear first and second team in place as the season draws near, but an injury or two could give some rotational pieces an opportunity to shine.

Here’s a look at the nine tight ends listed on the 2022 Florida Gators fall roster.

See also:

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

ESPN takes a look at how Billy Napier’s rebuilding process is going at Florida

The Gators are slowly rebuilding through recruiting and filling positions of need first.

Recently, ESPN took a look at how new head coaches are choosing to rebuild the programs they take over, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first go around with the Florida Gators is an easy case study to look at it given the school’s history and membership in the perenially strong Southeastern Conference.

Identifying positions of need is the first step in ESPN’s assessment, and the list is unsurprisingly long. Running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line and linebacker it reads. Only two of those holes (running back and offensive line) would be filled in the first six months of Napier’s tenure, though.

He had just weeks to scramble and piece together a recruiting class that had prospects jumping ship left and right. Napier ultimately snagged five-star safety, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], from Georgia’s grasp and also landed four-star linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag]. Four-star running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] is another nice addition, but the group is still considered weak in a conference that routinely boasts the nation’s top recruiting classes.

New coach Billy Napier has his hands full trying to remake this roster as the previous staff went 6-7 last season with lackluster recruiting over the past few classes. The Gators finished the 2022 recruiting cycle ranked No. 32 overall, last in the SEC.

Napier then turned to the transfer portal, bringing in a trio of offensive players that already know his scheme. [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], the Sun Belt Conference’s Freshman of the Year, is sure to add to the run game behind four-star Louisiana transfer [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and fellow interior offensive lineman [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag].

Still, it’s been hard to fill the holes left in the receiving core by [autotag]Jacob Copeland[/autotag] (Maryland) and [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] (UCF). The transfer portal, in general, has hurt more than it’s helped this offseason. Sure, guys like [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] have a chance to make an impact early, but it doesn’t replace the departing starting talent. Not to mention those who have graduated or turned pro.

The coaches lost quite a bit to the portal and weren’t able to fill every hole… Defensive linemen [autotag]Zachary Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Antonio Valentino[/autotag] and [autotag]Daquan Newkirk[/autotag] are all gone as well, so the defensive staff has some work to do in the front seven to replace the production they had from last season.

It’s not the total overhaul some programs have seen, such as LSU or Oklahoma. In fact, Napier is taking a fairly traditional approach to rebuilding the Gators considering the modern game’s transfer rules. Landing a strong recruiting class in 2023 seems to be the path he’s headed down, but there are questions about whether or not Florida can keep up in the NIL space with some of the nation’s top programs.

As ESPN suggests, there’s still plenty of work to do for Florida to be “rebuilt,” but Napier is addressing the issues one by one. That attentiveness is what got him the gig, and he’s been successful in the past.

Here’s where Florida’s incoming transfers stand, per 247Sports

The Top247 transfer rankings have been finalized and there are five incoming Gators on the list.

It’s no secret that Florida has seen a decent amount of movement through the transfer portal this offseason, and there’s reason to be excited about the new names and faces coming to Gainesville next season.

247Sports finalized its Top247 college football transfer portal player rankings, and five incoming Gators made the cut. Offensive guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] leads the way at No. 33 overall and is joined by fellow Louisiana-Lafayette offensive line transfer [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] at No. 41.

Torrence was a three-year starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] decided that his skill set fit the needs of his new team. Playing his final year in the Southeastern Conference should help his draft stock rise, assuming he takes the step forward he’s expected to. Waites only played one year at ULL, but Florida needed offensive linemen and he’s got the size (6-foot-8-inches, 358-pounds) to compete at the highest level in college football.

Next up is former Georgia cornerback [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] at No. 49 on the list. Kimber was targeted by cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] after playing just three games in two years at UGA due to a shoulder injury that limited him for most of 2021. He likely would have seen plenty of playing time with the Bulldogs this season had he stayed, but now he’ll compete for a starting job at Florida instead.

[autotag]Montrell Jonhson[/autotag], the third Lousiana transfer to make the cut, is ranked No. 70 among transfers and has a shot to be a major contributor in his first season with the Gators. He knows Napier’s playbook and was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2021 after rushing for 838 yards on 162 attempts (5.17 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns.

Finally, there’s the newest addition to the team, Arizona State transfer [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] at No. 155 on the list. He was one of the best receivers in the Pac-12 last season and gives the Gators some depth at a position where they don’t have much experience from returning players to rely on.

Of course, Florida did lose its share of Top247 talent as well. The Gators lost linebacker [autotag]Mohamoud Diabate[/autotag] (No. 42) to Utah, receiver [autotag]Jacob Copeland[/autotag] (No. 60) to Maryland, linebacker [autotag]Ty’Ron Hopper[/autotag] (No. 86) to Missouri, EDGE [autotag]Khris Bogle[/autotag] (No. 88) to [autotag]Michigan State [/autotag]and tight end [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] (No. 135) to UCF.

Quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] is the only incoming transfer not ranked by 247Sports. [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag],[autotag] Carlos Del Rio-Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Gerald Mincey[/autotag] comprise the list of outgoing players that failed to make the Top247.

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2023 TE recruit an intriguing prospect for Florida’s depleted corps

This 2023 recruit could help the Gators rebuild its tight end room back to glory.

The tight end position for Florida has quickly become a contentious topic as injuries have decimated a corps that not long ago was among the best in the business. A potential career-ending injury sustained by redshirt freshman [autotag]Gage Wilcox[/autotag] in spring practice combined with redshirt freshman tight end Nick Elksnis and sophomore tight end Jonathan Odom also joining him in the trainer’s room has the Gators teetering perilously near the edge at a position that has become increasingly important in the modern game.

Long gone are the days of [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag], who now hauls in passes for the Atlanta Falcons, while 2021 starter [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] entered the transfer portal and headed down the turnpike to join the UCF Knights for the 2022 campaign. While the Gators did sign three tight ends in the 2023 class, it behooves the program to ensure a long-term pipeline of talent at the position.

One of Florida’s options when it comes to cultivating the next crop of student-athletes is three-star tight end [autotag]Reid Mikeska[/autotag] out of Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland, who has been reported to have high opinions of the Orange and Blue under new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] after a visit to campus on April 2.

“It was my first time in Gainesville and I really enjoyed it,” he told Swamp247. “Had a lot of fun. They’re definitely a school very high up on my list.”

Mikeska’s primary point of contact has been tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag], who was the one who extended an offer to him recently. The 6-foot-5.5-inch, 233-pound prep had some encouraging words to say about him.

“I’m a real big fan of coach Peagler,” Mikeska said. “He was kind of with us the whole day. He’s a really smart coach. I definitely think he’s a coach that can develop me.”

The Lone Star State prospect ranks No. 436 overall and No. 24 at tight end nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus ranks him at No. 533 and No. 26, respectively. Neither publication has a lead school in his recruitment but On3 has nine programs — including Florida — listed at 8.1% in its predictions.

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Former Florida tight end commits to UCF via transfer portal

Tight end Kemore Gamble will play his final year of college football in Florida but not with the Gators.

After using his extra year of eligibility to enter the transfer portal, former Florida tight end Kemore Gamble has found a new home.

Gamble will be playing his final year of college football with the UCF Knights. He visited UCF over the weekend and met coach Gus Malzahn before making the commitment. Although 2021 was Gamble’s redshirt senior year, players were granted an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UCF needed depth at tight end after losing players to graduation and the portal. Adding a five-year veteran from the Southeastern Conference is one of the best ways for a Group of Five team to fill positions of need. Gamble is also coming off his best year with 31 receptions, 414 receiving yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns.

Florida isn’t in a bad way following this transfer. The Gators expected to lose Gamble to the draft, and former tight ends coach Tim Brewster left behind plenty of talented tight ends for Billy Napier to work with. Rising senior Keon Zipperer is the expected starter going into next season, and Jonathan Odom, Nick Elksnis and Gage Wilcox are behind him.

Gamble played in 49 games with Florida and leaves Gainesville with 48 receptions, 632 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He is the fifth player to leave Florida through the transfer portal since the season ended and the seventh player to transfer to UCF in that time.

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Another Gator heads for the transfer portal, this time a key TE

Kemore Gamble will use his final year of eligibility to seek greener college football pastures.

Florida football saw another one of its ranks depart on Wednesday. This time it is redshirt senior tight end Kemore Gamble, who declared his intent to enter the transfer portal on his Twitter account after toying with the idea of entering the 2022 NFL draft.

“It’s been a blessing to attend the University of Florida to play football and receive a degree from this special place. I want to thank God for giving me the strength to overcome the obstacles that I have experienced during the past four years. In addition, I could not have done this without the courage of my parents Keiva, Charles (Peto) and Jerome. I’d also like to thank Mr. Taft and David Cooney, who taught me to see the brighter side of life. Finally, I would like to thank Coach Mullen, Coach Scott and Coach Brewster for helping make me a better player and man. Also, Paul and the training staff for keeping me healthy throughout my hears here.

I have a huge opportunity to enter the 2022 NFL Draft. But after lots of prayer and talking with my parents and loved ones, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal for my last year of eligibility.”

Gamble had massive shoes to fill taking over for once-in-a-generation athlete Kyle Pitts, who set the bar atmospherically high during his 2020 campaign in Gainesville. The 6-foot-4-inch, 248-pound tight end did not quite live up to his predecessor’s standard but did turn in a tidy performance this past season, leading the team at his position with 31 receptions and 414 yards per catch — both third-best on the team overall —  along with a team-high (tied with receiver Jacob Copeland) four touchdown receptions.

The Gators look to Keon Zipperer, who will be a fourth-year senior next season, to take over as the leader of the tight end room with incoming sophomores Gage Wilcox, Nick Elksnis and Jonathan Odom filling in the depth. Florida has also received a commitment from 2022 four-star prep prospect Tony Livingston, who played both sides of the line in high school but is being recruited by Billy Napier and his staff as a tight end.

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WATCH: Gators score on trick play to open half against Tennessee

The Gators got the second half started with some trickery.

The Florida Gators started the second half off with a touchdown pass from receiver Trent Whittemore to tight end Kemore Gamble. Emory Jones passed the ball to Whittemore across the backfield, and Tennessee was caught completely off guard.

The 13-yard double pass capped off a great drive for the Gators. Starting on the 22, Jones and Malik Davis rushed to get the initial first down. Then, Jones hit Justin Shorter, Kemore Gamble and Jacob Copeland for respective gains of 33, 13 and 4 yards. That’s when the trickery came and Florida went up by 10.

Whittemore attempted 150 passes in high school, according to Maxpreps, so this isn’t a new thing for him. It is new for Gators fans though, especially the ones asking when Anthony Richardson might get to throw a ball.

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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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