Welcome to Gator Country’s Farewell Florida Q&A series. Over the next few weeks, we will chat with departing Gators about their experiences at Florida as well as their predictions for the future of the program.
Fresh off their final season in orange and blue, these players have unique perspectives and will help us look to the coming months through their eyes.
After three seasons as the starting place kicker for the Gators, Evan McPherson is off to chase his NFL dreams. In this first installment, McPherson gives us his take on the 2021 season, evaluates Florida’s recruiting strategies and previews competitions from kicker to quarterback.
Very early thoughts of the 2021 team?
“I think the team is looking pretty good. It’s definitely going to look a little different than last year. It’s a new team that’s kind of got new parts to it. I know they’ve got some pretty good transfers coming in, so I honestly can see them having just as good or maybe even a better season than this year. I know we’ve progressed every single year, so I’m kind of excited to see how they do.”
Big rematch with Alabama in Week 3.
“I think that will be a great test for this new team. How do I think this team is going to be next year? I think that’s going to be their first real test, against Alabama. I’m glad it’s earlier in the season, because you kind of get to see what the team is really all about and you get to judge how the season is going to go based on that performance.”
Do you think next season’s team has potential to get back to Atlanta or even compete for a College Football Playoff spot?
“Yeah. I feel like, just over the years, obviously, we’ve been progressively getting better. i think that’s due to our teams just getting closer and bonding a lot more and kind of just trusting this coaching staff that we have. You know, I think this team is talented, and with the guys they’re bringing in, it’s definitely going to help them out a lot. I think you’ve got two great quarterbacks that you can kind of rotate if you want. And really, at a lot of positions, you’ve got some guys that you can rotate and kind of get the same, if not better, performance out of each position group. So, honestly, I feel like they could definitely make it back to Atlanta. It’s just kind of that they’ve gotta execute whenever the game is on the line. I’m excited to see. I’m excited to get out to spring practice and see what’s going on.”
So you are sticking around Gainesville for a while?
“Yeah. I’m living in Gainesville right now. I’m training kind of all over the place with this coach that I’m training with. I kind of just stay here, and when I’m in Gainesville, I train with Caleb Sturgis. And then, I’ll see my kicking coach like every two weeks.”
What do you think this coaching staff does well?
“They give guys a chance. With bringing in transfers, they’re giving those guys a chance to play again at a high level. Another thing they do well is to get you to play to the best of your ability. They’re going to get everything out of you, no matter who it is. If you’re a guy on scout team, they’re going to get you to go as hard as you can for our defenses to kind of prepare them for that week. But even in the offseason, they’re going to push you to be your best and get better in preparation for this season. They’re definitely not producing a loser mentality. They’re producing, I guess you would say, any game, any place, anywhere, we’re going to be ready to play. I feel like that’s what they instill into all of our guys.”
Why do you think Florida has been able to take advantage of the transfer portal so well?
“I think it’s just Coach [Dan] Mullen and how he recruits. Any coach really likes a guy with a lot of experience, and I feel like if you’re a transfer guy, the University of Florida is just one of the top schools in the country. Just to be able to come here and play and compete for a chance to win a national championship, I would say for a transfer, it’s a great opportunity.”
Do you think Florida’s transfer portal success over traditional recruiting is by design?
“I think it’s definitely been something that’s worked for this coaching staff in the past, so I don’t see why you would stop doing it and kind of go for, I guess, more high school guys. I just think transfers for us have been kind of a great add on to our team in the recent years. I’m sure it’s definitely a big part of their recruiting process.”
On the topic of transfers, the Gators got a pretty good one to try to replace you in Jace Christmann. Do you know much about him?
“Yeah. When I was getting recruited to Mississippi State, I went to pretty much every home game they had when I was getting recruited there, and I would go to spring practice and kind of hang out. I got to know a lot of the specialists really well, and Jace was one of them. I really got to know Jace a good bit. I consider him a friend of mine. He was really good to me throughout the recruiting process. I know he did great things at Mississippi State. I know he’s going to have to come in and compete with Chris Howard. I know Coach Mullen has made that clear. But I’m just excited to see how he does kind of with the competition.”
What goes into competitions between kickers as opposed to other positions?
“I think it really just comes down to who makes more kicks in camp. That’s pretty much where the decision is kind of made, with the camps, practices, scrimmages. Just put those guys in similar situations and see who kind of prevails and is able to handle those stressful situations. I mean, if you pick out one guy and he doesn’t turn out to do well in the game, you can definitely just throw the other one in and see which one is, I guess, a little more confident in what they’re doing. It all kind of just starts in practice.”
Florida is losing a lot from the special teams unit. Do you think It will be tough to replace all of you or are guys ready to fill in the holes?
“I definitely think the guys there that are going to step into those roles next year are more than capable of doing a great job. We all obviously got a glimpse of Jeremy Crawshaw in the bowl game. He had two punts, and they were two great punts. I’ve kind of seen him practice and the way he approaches the game, and I think he’s more than capable of stepping in and doing a great job. From the snapper spot, we kind of had two guys who were ready to play last year. Marco Ortiz, he’s kind of going to try to step into that role and be the guy this year. I think he’s ready. He’s waited his turn, so I think he’s excited to get out on the field and kind of get his chance.”
Who are some of the players you see having a breakout season?
“I’ve always been really high on Emory [Jones]. He obviously came in with my class, and I’ve gotten to know him a lot. Just knowing his work ethic and his patience, just sitting behind Feleipe [Franks] and Kyle [Trask]. I know he’s hungry to get out there and kind of show everybody what he can do, so I would look out for him. Other than that, my roommate, Trent Whittemore, I think he’s going to do fantastic this year. You kind of got a little glimpse of what he’s been able to do. Then, he unfortunately got injured this year and that kind of kept him out of it. But I think he’s going to step up and do big things for Florida this year. Other than that, I think we’ve kind of seen what everyone else can do. Those two guys, I’ve been pretty close with, and I’m excited to see how they perform as they finally get that chance to start and prove to everyone what they’ve got.”
Do you think the starting quarterback job is Emory’s to lose or will there be a competition with Anthony Richardson?
“I’m sure there will be a competition there, but I think Emory might have a leg up right now, just because he’s more experienced and knows the playbook a little better. I’m not going to speak on behalf of the quarterbacks and what they know and how they read coverages and all that, because I’m not in the meetings and I don’t really know how advanced Emory and Anthony are in that. I feel like it could be almost like this year. You know, Kyle was kind of our guy for the whole year, but you would have some packages with Emory in it. I feel like that could be the same way for this next year. You’ve got two great guys that are both elusive on the run and pass.”