Tag: player profile card

JUCO transfer Tuongthach Gatkek looking to break into rotation in 2021-22

After one year of JUCO ball, forward Tuongthach Gatkek is working his way into the Gators rotation.

Name: Tuongthach Gatkek

Number: 32

Position: Center

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6’9”

Weight: 172 lbs

Hometown: Portland, Maine

High School: Caprock High School (Texas)

2020-21 Stats:

GP MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
25 6.2 66.3 20.0 42.4 6.9 0.8 2.2 0.8 0.8 0.8 9.7

Overview: 

Tuongthach Gatkek was one of the stars of the 2020-21 Trinity Valley Community College basketball team. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game last year for the Cardinals (23-3) before transferring to Florida.

Gatkek earned All-Region Honors as a freshman and had 19 points in his final game with TVCC, a second-round exit in the NJCAA Tournament. His season-high of 23 points came against Tyler Junior College in March. If anything, Gatkek was only getting better as the season went on.

Florida’s frontcourt is fairly busy with Colin Castleton, CJ Felder, Jason Jitoboh in the mix, but Gatkek could see decent minutes in the more lopsided Gator victories. He’ll have to get a bit more size to compete at this level consistently, but the defensive instinct is there to build on.

With some development, Gatkek could end up seeing more minutes down the road. Many of the starters are set to graduate or move on, leaving the door wide open for the JUCO transfer.

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Elijah Kennedy seeing key reps as a true freshman

Kennedy has a tough path to the court on a deep squad, but the true freshman is still making a moderate impact off the bench.

Name: Elijah Kennedy

Number: 10

Position: Guard

Class: High School Recruit

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 185 lbs

Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia

High School: Green Run

Twitter: @eligotnext

Overview:

A three-star recruit from Virginia Beach, the same area that gave the Gators Keyontae Johnson, Kennedy was a late addition to the 2021 class, which only had eventual five-star recruit Kowacie Reeves committed for most of the cycle. He was ranked as the No. 161 overall player in the recruiting class.

Kennedy suffered a knee injury during his junior season in 2019, and it severely impacted his recruiting. He told The Virginian-Pilot when he signed with the Gators on Aug. 2 that the way Florida handled Keyontae Johnson‘s collapse, from which he still hasn’t been cleared to play, was one of the things that made his Florida offer so attractive.

“One thing that made me feel comfortable was with everything Keyontae has been through, the school is still helping him out,” Harris said. “(Kennedy) will feel comfortable with him being there with another 757 guy.”

Kennedy wasn’t necessarily expected to make much of an impact this season, but given his ability to succeed on both ends of the court, he’s actually seen a good bit of reserve action this season. He’s appeared in every game, seeing a season-high nine minutes in the win over California. He scored three points in the wins over the Golden Bears and the Seminoles, which marks his career-high. However, he’s shooting just 3 of 10 on the season and hasn’t been very impactful on the defensive end or in passing the ball so far.

Still, he’s contributing more than many expected from the three-star and the Gators will hope to see him continue to develop as the season goes on.

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Veteran Amari Burney will face some competition in 2021

Burney is set to start the opener this weekend, but linebacker is set to be a competitive spot for the Gators in 2021.

Name: Amari Burney

Number: 2

Position: Linebacker

Class: Senior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 230 lbs

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

High School: Calvary Christian

Twitter: @amari_burney

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO SACK FF FR INT PD
52 30 2 0 0 1 2

Overview:

A four-star recruit from St. Petersburg, Burney committed to the Gators in June before his senior year of high school, and he signed with the team during the early signing period in December of 2017. He began his career as a defensive back, and saw reserve action on defense and a lot of time on special teams as a freshman, when he totaled 12 tackles and a sack.

Burney moved to linebacker ahead of his sophomore season, and he played in eight games with three starts, also seeing some action at the STAR linebacker safety hybrid position. He had 37 tackles, a fumble recovery and notched his first career interception.

Burney entered the 2020 season expected to be one of Florida’s key contributors on defense, but he saw his role diminish a bit. He appeared in every game, but started just four of them. Still, he reached a career-high in tackles with 52 and sacks with two.

Entering the 2021 season, Burney is listed as a starter at linebacker alongside Ventrell Miller. But he could be pushed by Mohamoud Diabate, who has been very impressive during his Florida career, and Ty’Ron Hopper, who enters his third season and was a role player last year.

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Xzavier Henderson is in line to be Florida’s next blue-chip offensive player

The Gators’ young wideout has the traits to become a downfield threat, but he’s not fully baked yet and needs to develop in 2021.

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Name: Xzavier Henderson

Number: 3

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 191 lbs

Hometown: Miami, Fl.

High School: Colombus High School

2020 statistics:

REC YDS TD LNG AVG
9 148 1 43 16.4

Overview:

Henderson played in nearly every one of the Gators’ games as a true freshman, but he wasn’t prioritized for touches in an offensive system monopolized by Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts. The fact that he was able to get his hands on nine passes is impressive in the context of his youth and status among a crowded batch of offensive skill position players.

Henderson comes from football family. Most notably, his older brother is a cornerback who parlayed a career at Florida into a first-round draft selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The younger Henderson was identified quickly as a high-end prospect on the offensive end of the ball. He was offered on by a number of great programs, and in the end, his college destination was narrowed down to Florida and the then-reigning champion Clemson Tigers.

The traits make Henderson an exciting prospect for the Gators’ offense are twofold. Most obvious is his dynamic movement on the gridiron. He launches off the line of scrimmage with explosiveness and gets downfield in a blur. The whole field is available to him if he turns on the jets. More than just a track runner, Henderson is also able to cut routes. His high school tape is filled with instances of second-level separation being crated at the sideline by means of his suddenness and ability to reverse direction.

Where he could stand to improve is his contested catch ability. Henderson’s long arms and long frame are the building blocks to be a nightmare for defensive backs. However, he’s not the strongest guy and may not be willing to sacrifice some of his speed for added bulk.

The Gators’ offense is taking on a new shape in the upcoming season. They’re unlikely to get punch-drunk on wheel routes under the stewardship of Emory Jones, who will presumptively herald a run-centric offense. That’s not the kindest system for a player like Henderson, but he has the requisite skills to add more complex intermediate routes to his repertoire.

The ceiling for Henderson is an absolutely dominant downfield threat and a quarterback’s best friend. If everything clicks, he’ll be the guy the signal caller defaults to when the offensive scheme is disrupted. That’s an immensely valuable player to have in the system, but he’s not that player yet. In-game reps in 2021 will go a long way toward discerning whether can become the best version of himself.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8bn-u90nA

Ja’Quavion Fraziars is a worthy successor to the Gators’ receiving core

The Gators have a lot to figure out on offense in 2021, and Fraziars could be a significant part of the final pass catching depth chart.

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Name: Ja’Quavion Fraziars

Number: 0

Position: Wide Receiver

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6’3.5″

Hometown: Dunnellon, Fl.

High School: Dunnellon High School

2020 statistics:

REC YDS TD LNG AVG
1 4 0 4 4

Overview:

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.

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Kaiir Elam set to lead Florida’s secondary in 2021

Elam enters his junior season as one of the most experienced players on defense, and he should lead a secondary that struggled in 2020.

Name: Kaiir Elam

Number: 5

Position: Defensive Back

Class: Junior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 193 lbs

Hometown: Riviera Beach, Florida

High School: Benjamin

Twitter: @Easymoney_Kai

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO AST FR YDS INT YDS TD PD
39 28 11 1 0 2 0 0 11

Overview:

The nephew of former star Gators safety Matt Elam, Kaiir Elam joined the Florida roster as a four-star recruit from South Florida in the 2019 recruiting class. His first year on campus, he played in all 13 games and started five of them as C.J. Henderson dealt with injuries. He finished with 11 tackles, three picks and four passes defended (the second-most on the team).

Elam entered his sophomore season in 2020 poised to start opposite Marco Wilson, and he did not disappoint. He started all 12 games, and he totaled 39 tackles, two picks and 11 passes defensed. He also recovered his first career fumble in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

He now enters his junior season in 2021 as one of the most experienced players in the secondary and also as one of the Gators’ top draft prospects. Expectations are high for him going into what will likely be his final season in Gainesville, but so far, he’s done nothing but exceed them.

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