GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Following Ricky Pearsall’s game winning touchdown catch in the Florida Gators comeback win over South Carolina, he has been added to the Biletnikoff Award Watchlist as announced by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation on Wednesday morning.
The Biletnikoff Award recognizes the outstanding receiver at any position as tight ends, running backs and wide receivers are all eligible.
The most recent Florida Gator to be recognized by the Biletnikoff Award was Kyle Pitts who was named a finalist for the award in 2020.
RICKY PEARSALL
Pearsall continued his extremely productive season with a career performance on Saturday, Oct. 14 against South Carolina. The Chandler, Arizona native totaled 10 receptions for 166 receiving yards and one touchdown against the Gamecocks.
Pearsall has paced Florida in receiving yards in five of seven games this season including in the Week 7 contest against South Carolina, when his receptions and yardage totals outlined above set career highs and marked his fifth-career 100-yard contest (fourth at the University of Florida).
Additionally, Pearsall has recorded at least one reception in 35-consecutive games, the seventh-longest streak in the FBS.
His yardage total in the Week 7 contest also allowed the Senior to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark for his collegiate career. A total of 2,074 yards ranks 25th among active FBS players.
Probably the most significant aspect of Pearsall’s Saturday performance was his impact on the final two drives of the contest which narrowed the deficit to 34-37 and then gave the Gators the 41-37 lead.
Down 27-37 with 9:11 remaining on the clock quarterback Graham Mertz conducted a 75-yard scoring drive which featured three first down completions of 10, 17 and 19 yards to Pearsall.
Of Pearsall’s 77 catches at Florida, 56 (72.7%) have been for first downs (27 of 33 in 2022; 29 of 44 in 2023).
After a defensive stand, Mertz and Pearsall were back on the field down 34-37 with a chance to win the game. The game winning drive featured two chunk plays by the veteran wide receiver as he hauled in a 26 yard reception to enter South Carolina territory and capped off the drive with a 21-yard score to give the Gators a 41-37 lead with 47 seconds remaining in the game.
In the 2023 season, Pearsall ranks t-16th in the FBS, eighth in the Power 5 and third in the SEC with 43 receptions and fifth in the SEC (14th in P5) with 89.1 receiving yards per game. He needs just 43 receiving yards and five catches to set new career high marks for an entire season.
Pearsall has been targeted much more frequently under new quarterback Graham Mertz as the 6-1, 190-pound receiver holds a target percentage of 24.44%, the 7th highest amongst SEC pass catchers. Pearsall ranks 4th in the SEC in total targets with 55.
The Arizona native ranks 3rd in the SEC in explosive plays amongst pass catchers with 12.
Pearsall grades as the third highest offensive player on Florida while ranking 27th among eligible wide receivers in the FBS, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I’m telling y’all right now, this guy is a very underrated player. He is one of the best receivers in the entire country,” Head Coach Billy Napier said on Pearsall.
“He’s bigger than you think. He’s more explosive than you think. He came back to improve his stock for the draft, and he’s doing it,” Napier added. “Not to mention the leadership and the character that he brings every day, the work habits. Ricky is a very effective player because he’s highly skilled. He can get open at the line. He can separate at the top of the route, and he’s got fantastic ball skills and hand selection.”
Ricky Pearsall has been a difference maker with the Orange and Blue and has a chance to build on his best season of his five-year career with five games remaining in the 2023 regular season.