Most teams would experience a drop-off if they lost four senior starters at the wide receiver position.
Not the Gators.
Despite the departures of NFL rookies Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Freddie Swain and Josh Hammond, Florida is expected to field another productive WR corps in 2020 with quarterback Kyle Trask and several pass catchers coming back.
“I’m really excited about that group,” SEC Network analyst and former UF receiver Chris Doering told GT. “It’s not often that you lose the four guys they lost who have that kind of contribution and that kind of experience and feel like you’re at the same level or maybe even better than you were the previous year. But that speaks a lot to the talent that’s been stockpiled at the wide receiver spot.”
The top returners are Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland and Kadarius Toney, Florida’s most electric player on offense. He missed six weeks in 2019 with a shoulder injury, but still led the team in yards per catch (19.4 average) and has made some game-changing plays during his two years in Dan Mullen’s offense.
Reese's Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy already has his sights set on seniors Grimes and Toney for the all-star game. He expects the breakout WR of the 2021 draft class to be Grimes, who caught 33 passes for 491 yards and three touchdowns last season.
In addition to Grimes, Doering is also anticipating big things from Copeland this fall. He hauled in 21 receptions for 273 yards and two TDs as a redshirt freshman.
“I think Jacob Copeland is set to have a huge year. We certainly know about him from how highly he was recruited,” Doering said of Copeland, who chose UF over Alabama. “I’m waiting for Trevon Grimes to become that player that he looks like. We’ve seen flashes of it, but I definitely think this could be the year that he steps up in that role.”
Florida’s WR corps also includes redshirt senior Rick Wells, redshirt freshmen Ja’Markis Weston and Trent Whittemore, transfers Justin Shorter and Jordan Pouncey and incoming freshmen Xzavier Henderson and Ja'Quavion Fraziars. Henderson, Shorter and Wells worked out last weekend with NFL trainer Stephon Brown, who had high praise for the group.
Doering said UF’s underclassmen and newcomers will be in good hands with wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales.
“I’ve talked about Billy Gonzales a ton. He’s one of the best receiver coaches in the country and actually reminds me a lot of Dwayne Dixon, my receiver coach at Florida,” Doering said. “Just because of having played the position, understanding the nuances that go along with it, coaching the details, the way they go about grinding on some of the little things I think are very reminiscent of the way we were taught by Coach Dixon and Coach (Steve) Spurrier back in the day.”
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The Gators’ passing attack will feature tight end Kyle Pitts as well. After leading the team with 54 receptions last season, Doering expects Pitts to continue causing headaches for SEC defensive coordinators as Mullen finds more ways to feed him the ball.
“With Kyle Pitts, being a tight end that ultimately is more like a receiver, I think he’s the biggest mismatch in the conference this year,” Doering said. “So looking forward to seeing how he’s utilized. Even dating back to the days when Dan Mullen was the offensive coordinator and the way that he used Cornelius Ingram to create some favorable matchups. I think Pitts is going to have a huge season this year.”
