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Two games into the 2020 season, Kadarius Toney has turned heads in emerging as Florida’s top wide receiver to complement tight end Kyle Pitts.
That distinction was expected to belong to Trevon Grimes, but Toney has doubled his production so far in catches and scores. The senior Swiss Army knife has 11 grabs for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
He accumulated a career-high 86 receiving yards on six catches Saturday, including a 57-yard catch-and-run to the end zone after thwarting multiple tackle attempts by South Carolina defenders. Toney also returned two punts for 42 yards.
“KT does a lot,” Dan Mullen said after the game. “You can see how he’s grown as a player for us in his ability to get open, his consistency in his route-running. Obviously he makes you miss and you saw that in the kicking game. They started trying to kick away from him during the course of the game.
“He’s a guy you can move all over the place. Put him in the backfield, motion him out of the backfield. He has to be not really just intelligent, but a smart football player to learn how to do all those different things. He did a really good job of that [Saturday].”
During an injury-riddled season a year ago, Toney made just 10 total catches and had one receiving touchdown — which came in the season opener against Miami. In the past, critics have labeled him a gadget player and questioned his ability to develop into a legitimate threat as a pass catcher.
Toney has already surpassed his reception total from 2019 and it’s clear now that opposing defenses would be ill-advised to underestimate him as an every-down receiver.
He was already an offensive weapon on sweeps, direct snaps and trick plays, such as his touchdown pass at Mississippi State. Now he’s making defensive backs look foolish with his improved route-running.
“He’s a very special player,” Trask said of Toney. “Any time you get Kadarius in the open field, something good is going to happen. And just like you saw (on his TD), he made five defenders miss with the ball. He can do some very special things with the ball in his hands.”
