Tag: Ricky Pearsall

CBS Sports lists its top incoming transfer for Florida football

CBS Sports published its list of top incoming transfers for Southeastern Conference schools in the coming 2022 season.

Rebuilding Florida’s football program is no easy task as new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is quickly learning. Among the building blocks available to the Gators’ staff is the transfer portal, which has transformed from a small creek into a massive river flowing with players due to the change in eligibility rules, which now allows a student-athlete to immediately play for their new team.

While prep recruiting is at the forefront of Napier’s agenda, the portal has also been a major component in building the 2022 roster. CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee recently took a look at the Southeastern Conference and selected the best transfer for each school. Florida’s selection was an offensive lineman who followed his head coach from the bayous of Louisiana to the Swamp: O’Cyrus Torrence. Here is what Sallee offered about the big man on the line.

The senior earned All-Sun Belt honors twice and played on a pair of Joe Moore Award semifinalist offensive line units under Billy Napier at Louisiana. Now, Torrence provides an anchor on the Gators’ rebuilt offensive line in Napier’s first season.

Torrence was not exactly an easy selection, given some of the other talent collected in the portal so far. Two of his teammates at ULL who also came to Gainesville, running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and fellow OL [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], are expected to carry a load for the Gators, while former USC wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] could make an instant impact on the team as well. There is also former Georgia Bulldog [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] who bolsters Florida’s defensive backfield.

Who do you think will have the biggest impact? Let us know in the comments below.

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Florida football adds this JUCO wide receiver to 2022 class

Florida adds to its wide receiver room with this JUCO addition.

Florida football added another player to its wide receiver room on Sunday when JUCO wide receiver [autotag]Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman[/autotag] both committed and signed with the program, joining transfer portal arrival [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] as the latest additions to the 2022 class.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound pass-catcher from Minneapolis, Minnesota, spent the past year at Independence Community College (Kansas) and will have the full five years available for him to get his four seasons of play in. He chose his Sunshine State destination over Illinois, Ole Miss and Nebraska, despite his desire early on to remain in the realm of the Big Ten.

Chiaokhiao-Bowman’s primary recruiter was wide receivers coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag], who was one of many who went out of their way to make Gainesville feel like “home”.

“He and I just had a lot of ties,” he said of Florida’s assistant coach, according to Swamp247. “He played with Dominique Byrd at USC, who is a homie of mine and my brother’s. He also knows Larry Fitzgerald and played in the league so he’s gone places that I want to go. He’s a family guy and he’s really down to earth.

“They need a guy with my skill set to come do big things, even play special teams,” he added in regards to his fit on the current roster. “They plan to move me around between slot and outside. They like my releases, separation at the top of the route, he said he can tell I have good ball skills, I look seasoned and I work hard.”

The JUCO transfer will hopefully hit the ground running this upcoming season for Billy Napier’s squad, especially given how thin the team is at some positions, including the receiver corps.

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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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Florida earns commitment from this former Arizona State wide receiver

Former Arizona State wide receiver Ricky Pearsall committed to Florida over Oregon on Saturday.

Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] said during spring football that the wide receiver room lacked depth. On Saturday, he landed a talented player from the NCAA transfer portal for his unit that will provide some star power and depth. Former Arizona State wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Gators via Twitter.

Pearsall chose Florida over Oregon. He recently took an official visit to the Swamp from April 29 to May 1, during which he relished his time with Napier and wide receiver coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag]. Pearsall also told Swamp247 that he was able to spend some time around quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag].

He was the Sun Devils’ leading receiver last year when he recorded 48 receptions, 580 yards and four touchdowns as a third-year sophomore. Before he entered the portal, the Arizona State coaching staff was expecting a big year from its former three-star wideout.

Pearsall should immediately become one of Florida’s top four receivers along with [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag].

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This wide receiver transfer target has Gators in his top 3

Florida seems to be the team to beat down the stretch for ASU transfer receiver Ricky Pearsall.

A five-team race for the services of Arizona State wide receiver transfer [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] was narrowed down on Monday. Florida, Auburn and Oregon are his three finalists, according to 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner.

The plan is to pick between the three programs in the coming month and enroll so he can begin summer workouts with his new team. His most recent trip to Florida for an official visit over the weekend has him high on the Orange and Blue, and he says that the Gators will be a tough team to beat.

“Right away after the (Florida) visit, we talked as a family and we were just like, ‘Man, that’s going to be a hard place to beat,’” Pearsall said. “I think the coaches and the rest of the staff did a really good job hosting us and making us feel that it could be a possible home.”

Pearsall was blown away on his visit and even got to meet with the team’s presumed starting quarterback, [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], during the trip. He’s also quite familiar with several members of the coaching staff too. Head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and offensive coordinator Rob Sale were at ASU in 2017 and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert is one of the positional coaches Pearsall has had his eye on for a while out west at USC.

Auburn will get him next over the weekend and Oregon gets a turn the following week. Then, it’s decision time. Pearsall has claimed that NIL isn’t a big factor in his recruitment, which is the kind of thing that could be true until he’s offered something undeniable. Whether the Tigers and Ducks are prepared to play that game with the transfer target remains to be seen, though.

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Auburn transfer target among the best available in the portal

A look at where Ricky Pearsall ranks among players in the transfer portal.

The Auburn Tigers have some noticeable holes still to fill on the team. Recently the head coach brought up three that were a priority.

The wide receiver position was among the group of biggest needs. With the lack of experience at the position, the best way to address it would be in the transfer portal.

According to the latest rankings from On3, the wide receiver target is among the best available. He checked in at No. 5.

Pearsall lead Arizona State in receiving last year with 48 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns. The Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators and Oregon Ducks are still in the running for Pearsall with a decision looming in the near future.

The former Sun Devils wide receiver recently gave his top three schools and just so happens to be at a position that Auburn could use some help with. Their top guy from last season, Kobe Hudson, decided to reunite with Gus Malzahn leaving a sizeable hole in the group from an experience standpoint.

Head coach Bryan Harsin recently added a transfer from Miami, but he doesn’t check the box for experience. Dazalin Worsham spent two years with the Hurricanes but never saw the field. He opted to return home to Alabama in hopes of catching on with the Tigers.

Pearsall on the other hand does bring some experience to the roster. He would have finished first in receptions and tied for first in yards and touchdowns with Hudson. Pearsall has 61 career receptions for 794 yards and 7 total touchdowns.

Wide receiver transfer includes Auburn in final three schools

Florida and Oregon are also in the running.

The Plains might be getting some wide receiver help.

Former Arizona State wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who recently entered the transfer portal, has narrowed down his three final schools in consideration according to a report by 247Sports. One of those schools is Auburn, and the other two are Florida and Oregon.

Pearsall was a decent producer for the Sun Devils in 2021, catching 48 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a score on the ground and 44 total rushing yards for 2021, the only year he has played a large amount of snaps since he got to Arizona State.

Since Pearsall is from Tempe, Arizona, it makes sense that he would mention Oregon — the Ducks are another team near the West Coast that plays in the PAC-12, so he’d be used to familiar territory. He does have two SEC schools in the south he’s narrowed down to, though, so Auburn likely has the interest to bring him aboard partly to ensure he doesn’t go to a conference rival.

Coach Bryan Harsin could certainly use the firepower. While Pearsall likely doesn’t have the makings of a number one wideout, the competition brought into the current Tigers wide receiver room that doesn’t have a clear one could benefit the team. He would join the likes of Malcom Johnson Jr., Shedrick Jackson, Jay Fair and others to compete for targets.

The Tigers will play their first game of the season on Sept. 3 against the Mercer Bears.

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These two former Gators cracked ESPN’s list of the spring’s top 25 transfers

The spring transfer period is heating up and Florida is looking to gain more than it loses this time around.

Florida football had its ups and downs during the fall transfer period. New head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] brought in a trio of former players from Louisiana in and [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] came over from Ohio State. Meanwhile, the team lost several projected starters as the new coaching staff settled in.

Now that spring practices are wrapped up and the new culture is somewhat established, Napier and the Gators are preparing to take on the spring transfer period. ESPN dropped its list of the top 25 players available in the portal and only two departing Gators are on it, [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Del Rio-Wilson[/autotag].

Jones entertained the idea of transferring in the fall but ultimately decided to stay through the spring to get his degree at UF. As spring practices wound down, Jones finally put his name into the portal and will be playing elsewhere next season. He checks in at No. 11 on ESPN’s list of available spring 2022 transfers.

Jones waited three seasons for his chance to start at Florida, but this season did not go quite as anyone planned. Though Jones earned the starting job, former coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] also played [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] — and his highlight plays left fans clamoring for more of Richardson and less of Jones. Mullen could never seem to decide the best way to use them both, and Jones never got going in a consistent way.

Del Rio-Wilson, the No. 16 transfer on ESPN’s list, waited until after the spring game to make his announcement. After only attempting two passes in the fourth quarter of the Orange and Blue game, he decided to seek more opportunities elsewhere with Napier’s backing.

Del Rio-Wilson was the No. 58 recruit in the 2021 class and signed with Florida out of Cartersville High School in Loganville, Georgia. He redshirted his first season and is now looking elsewhere to play out the rest of his eligibility.

The good news for these two is that they are considered the top two quarterbacks in the portal right now by ESPN. Behind them are Baylor’s Gerry Bohanon and UNLV’s Justin Rogers which means the former Gators have a good shot at landing somewhere decent. JT Daniels was the most coveted quarterback transfer in the fall cycle and wound up at West Virginia. A similar transition could be in store for Jones.

Florida will also look to add players through the transfer portal this spring, and ESPN has them in the mix for two of its top-5 transfers. Former Arizona State linebacker [autotag]Eric Gentr[/autotag]y is No. 2 on the list and Florida is competing with Miami, Penn State and Texas for his services. There’s also wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] from ASU who sits at No. 4 on the list and led the team with 580 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Pearsall might be the more coveted recruit for Florida given the team’s lack of depth at wide receiver, but Napier’s pointed out that there are several holes for the team to fill throughout the spring. Time will tell if Florida can keep up in the evolving NIL space as well after losing out on defensive lineman Darrell Jackson to Miami.

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Report: Notre Dame in mix for Pac 12 wide receiver

Is he a fit and does Notre Dame have a chance?

One scan of Notre Dame’s depth chart at wide receiver tells the story of a position group in need of bodies.  Veterans [autotag]Avery Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Wilkins, Jr.[/autotag] both continue to recover from injuries while only one freshman, [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] signed with the 2022 recruiting class.

The transfer portal is clearly a place most expect [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and Notre Dame to dip their toes into as they try and fix that issue.  It is there that they’re at least of some interest to a Pac 12 receiver who led his team in receiving yards a season ago.

According to Mike Farrell, Notre Dame could be in the mix for Arizona State receiver Ricky Pearsall.  Pearsall is expected to make visits to both Florida and Auburn the next two weekends and if he doesn’t make a decision after that, Notre Dame and Oregon “could be in the mix”.

Translation: it would appear to be Florida or Auburn‘s game to lose with Pearsall.

However, if he doesn’t love his trip to either of those its worth knowing for Notre Dame fans that Pearsall hauled in a team leading 48 receptions for 540 yards and four touchdowns last season.  Due to the COVID exemption in 2020, Pearsall will have two years of eligibility remaining at whatever program he chooses to attend next.

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