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Winning is nothing new to Keon Zipperer.
He won 40 games at Lakeland High School, including a 16-0 senior season that ended with a state title, the program’s seventh and first since 2006.
Zipperer was a member of Florida’s 11-win team last year and the Gators are now a national championship contender in 2020. Better yet, he's playing in an offense that averages 45.8 points per game.
“You can never go wrong with just winning,” Zipperer said, “but it’s great knowing that we’re going to score a lot of points like every game. It’s just something that we do. It’s like normal to me now.”
Despite offers from Alabama, Clemson and Miami, the Polk County pipeline to UF was an obvious choice for him as a Dreadnaught. Zipperer waited until the early signing period before committing to the Gators live on ESPN, but knew he was Gainesville bound all along.
“Florida was a no-brainer,” he said. “I was just leading other schools on even though I knew I was coming here. I just wanted to take my visits, have a flight, show a good time to my mom, my family. But I had been knowing I was coming here.”
Zipperer appeared in eight games as a freshman and tallied three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown, all against Towson. He topped his 2019 total last Saturday with his second and third career touchdowns vs. Arkansas, helping to fill in for an injured Kyle Pitts.
“Zip did a great job” quarterback Kyle Trask said. “With Pitts out, we had constant communication throughout the game of what we’re seeing, giving feedback and just making sure we’re always on the same page. We did that all throughout this week, and I think that’s why we just clicked.”
Pitts took a targeting hit in the Georgia game, suffering a concussion and requiring nasal surgery. He is expected to return next week against Kentucky.
Until Pitts returns to the lineup, Florida’s tight end position will look a little different with Zipperer and backup Kemore Gamble.
“It hurt to see that happen to him,” Zipperer said of Pitts. “It’s just a part of the game. We just gotta continue doing what we’re doing what we’re doing, just go forward and just pray for the best with him.
“We all play different. Kyle is really good at receiving the ball. Me and Gamble, we’re more blocking tight ends. We all just have out different things that we’re good at.”
His first touchdown against Arkansas came at the end of the second quarter, just 17 seconds before the break. Zipperer hauled in the five-yard pass from Trask, whose fifth touchdown of the half put the Gators up by 21 points.
“He threw a perfect ball,” said Zipperer. “How the defender was playing me, I had made a stutter step. He put a lot of air on it, so I could run up under the ball. I just put my hands out.
“It’s just like everything is on the money with him. You just gotta run your routes and play to the best of your ability. He’s going to look for you. If you’re there, he’s just going to give it to you. Just do what you gotta do.”
Zipperer and Trask hooked up again early in the fourth to put the game out of reach for the Razorbacks. He finished with three catches for 47 yards, and his 11-yard reception helped Trask set a new SEC record for most touchdown passes (28) across six games.
“It felt great,” Zipperer said of his two-touchdown performance. “It’s always going to feel great getting into the end zone. But you gotta look past that and keep doing what you’re doing.”
