Gators 2019 Superlatives
As the Gators prepare for a trip to South Florida to take on Virginia in the Orange Bowl, GatorsTerritory looks back on the 2019 season.
We’re handing out superlatives to the best of the best from this year’s team.
Here are our picks:
Most Aggressive – LB Jonathan Greenard
The grad transfer proved a powerful defensive weapon for the Gators this year and was a vital part of Florida’s pass rush. He leads the team with nine sacks, three of those in Florida’s big 40-17 victory over in-state rival Florida State. On top of that, he’s recorded two forced fumbles and an interception that went for 16 yards.
He’s the guy that when you see him out on the field, you just expect greatness. He’s shown that he’s an incredibly aggressive guy and shows no mercy when he’s out on the field. His mindset is clear when he’s playing – get to the quarterback at all costs.
Many have asked the question, if he would have been able to play in the LSU game, how different would the outcome of that game have been? Would the presence of a powerful pass rush have been enough to make that game any closer? He plays a huge role in Florida’s defense and is a huge threat against powerful offenses, and we think the answer to that question is yes.
Most Improved – DB Shawn Davis
The junior out of South Florida put up decent numbers during his first two years as a Gator, but this year he really made an impact for Florida’s defense. He saw a lot more playing time this year and didn’t let that go to waste. He more than doubled his number of tackles this season and recorded three interceptions for 111 yards.
The thing about Davis is when he can reel in those interceptions, he’s going to make them count. Against Kentucky, he had two interceptions that went for 70 yards combined. And after both of those picks, when Florida’s offense got back on the field, it resulted in a scoring drive. He got his third interception of the season against Auburn and returned it for 41 yards. And again, when Florida’s offense got back out there, they scored a touchdown.
Having a guy on the defense that can make those big plays on defense can really impact the offense as well. Those kinds of plays can change the whole direction of the game, and Shawn Davis has been the guy to do that this year.
Most Upside – LB Ventrell Miller
The redshirt sophomore linebacker has the potential to be the next David Reese of this team. He tied for third in total tackles this season for the Gators with 47 and has shown off his ability to deflect passes. He more than tripled his number of tackles from his first season as a Gator and could be the next leader for this Florida defense. He got to the quarterback a few times for 2.5 sacks, two of those coming in Florida’s 2019 debut against the Miami Hurricanes. Under the wing of Reese these past two years, he knows he had some big shoes to fill and should continue to improve during his time at Florida to become the most consistent and aggressive player he can be.
Best Trash Talker – WR Trevon Grimes
Trash talk is an art, and wide receiver Trevon Grimes has mastered it. He seems to always have something to say, whether that be on Twitter or in interviews. He’s not afraid to call guys out by name and shows no mercy when talking about his matchups.
On Twitter, he’s known for giving his opinion on various topics and for calling people out for blocking him and hating on him.
He’s an incredibly confident guy, and that shows both on and off the field. That confidence has earned him the title of best trash talker this year.
Team Player – WR Freddie Swain and WR Josh Hammond
We’re awarding this one to two guys who have sacrificed a lot for this team. Both seniors were captains this year, but only one could start in the slot position in each game. Every week, they would alternate – one would start, and one would head to the sideline and watch their counterpart out on the field. It’s important to remember that both of these guys are trying to increase their draft stock and get noticed, but still they didn’t mind letting the other go out there and get their catches in.
With such a stacked receiving corps, it would be easy for these guys to get greedy and not want to share the position. But neither put up a fight or complained the whole season. These two are the epitome of what it means to be a team player and what it means to be a Gator. All of the receivers this season stressed the idea that it didn’t matter who was out there making the catches or scoring the touchdowns, as long as someone was getting the job done. That’s an incredibly respectable quality to have, especially for two seniors who have done so much for this offense.
Combined the two recorded 62 catches for 842 yards. Their selflessness gave Mullen the chance to run this offense in a unique way, without really having that one go-to receiver the whole season. He was able to spread the ball out to a lot of different guys and keep the offense fresh in that way.
Rookie of the Year – WR Jacob Copeland
After redshirting his first year at Florida, wide receiver Jacob Copeland has nowhere to go but up. He got catches in eight of Florida’s games this year and showed his true potential on the road against South Carolina. In that game, he only had three receptions, but made them count. He went for 89 yards, with his longest being 37 yards, and a touchdown.
On the year, he has 20 catches for 266 yards and two touchdowns. With so many of Florida’s receivers graduating and moving on after this season, this guy has the potential to be one of the stars in Florida’s offense in the years coming. He’s proven himself to be pretty reliable and with more reps, his consistency will only get better.
Defensive Player of the Year – LB David Reese
This guy is the heart of Florida’s defense. He leads the team in tackles with 88 and has two sacks on the season for a loss of 11 yards. There’s no doubt he’s a leader on this team and has said in the past he’s the guy who will take younger players under his wing and show them the ropes of Florida’s defense.
Reese played in all twelve of the Gators’ games this year and made an impact in every one. He played what was probably his best game of the season against Kentucky in week three when he racked up 16 tackles, thirteen of those solo. It doesn’t matter who the Gators are playing, you’re going to hear this guy’s name called. He’s a reliable guy who evaded injury this season and went out full force in every game he suited up for.
And it’s not just this year. He’s been a consistent player throughout his time at Florida and been the guy that you can always count on.
Offensive Player of the Year – TE Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts was the superstar no one saw coming. He had insane chemistry with quarterback Kyle Trask and had an outstanding year with the Gators. It’s not too often that we see a tight end leading a team in both receptions and yards, but Pitts did just that this year.
He has 51 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns across the Gators’ twelve games this season. That’s eight more catches and 82 more yards than Florida’s leading wide receiver Van Jefferson. When you look back at the tight end’s freshman year, the improvement is kind of crazy. Last year he had only three catches for 73 yards and one touchdown. He’s a consistent guy and proved incredibly valuable to Florida’s offensive scheme this year.
Team MVP – Kyle Trask
After starting quarterback Feleipe Franks went down against Kentucky with a scary leg injury, Kyle Trask knew he had to step up for his team. And man, what a year he had. He seemed to really click with Dan Mullen’s offense and was able to get the job done for this team.
The junior quarterback, who had not started a game since his freshman year of high school, proved this year was his time to shine. He has a 67.6 percent completion rate and has thrown for 2,636 yards and 24 touchdowns across eleven games this season.
When Franks went down, a lot of people were concerned about the future of this team, but Trask silenced the haters quickly leading the team to a ten-win season. He’s a team player, and doesn’t seem to mind when Mullen throws Emory Jones in. He’s a leader and has shown that he is deserving of the starting spot on this team.
He’s been sacked 21 times this year due to an unexperienced offensive line, but if the Gators can fix that problem, this guy could be unstoppable. He’s got chemistry with his receivers and can be ready at any moment to make those big plays.
He’s also shown that he can run the ball a bit, going for three rushing touchdowns in 2019. He’s been a huge part of Florida’s offensive turnaround and has led fans to ‘trust in Trask.’
