Class of 2020: Where are they now

(Article by Ryan Licht)

Gator Country dives into Florida’s 2020 recruiting class in part one of our “where are they now” series.

OFFENSE 

Xzavier Henderson / WR

Henderson, a former 4-star WR from Columbus High School, was poised to make a big impact for the Gators. The brother of former Gators cornerback CJ Henderson was one of the best receivers in the 2020 class.

In 35 games started, Henderson eclipsed 400 receiving yards once (410 total yards), scoring only five career touchdowns. It’s hard to say whether this was due to opportunity being scarce in the offense or poor quarterback play, but Henderson was never truly able to be that number one guy in the Gators’ scheme.

Henderson entered the transfer portal this past spring despite a promising camp and spring scrimmage. Henderson committed to the University of Cincinnati, teaming up with former Gators’ teammate Emory Jones.

Ja’Quavion Fraziars / WR

Fraziars is another 4-star receiver from the 2020 class.

The Dunnellon, Florida native was nothing short of superb in high school, racking up 630 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on only 31 catches his senior year. He also saw action as a safety, totaling 48 total tackles and two interceptions. He helped his school finish 9-2 on the year. However, college ball has been a different story for the talented player.

 The action has been extremely limited for Fraziars throughout his three seasons with the Orange and Blue. In 30 games, he has a career total of 99 yards and three touchdowns, definitely not what Gator fans expected from the talented two-way player.

With his classmate Henderson departing from the team, opportunities may open up for Fraziars. However, with an already crowded offense full of talent, the time is now for Fraziars to seize his opportunity, as his chances are coming to a close.

Issiah Walker Jr. / OT

We come across another talented player who just didn’t work out at Florida.

A 4-star OT from Miami, Walker was seen as a huge piece for the future of the Gators’ offensive line.

However, after signing his national letter of intent in 2019, Walker shortly transferred in 2020 to the University of Miami. Since then, his journey has been quite a long one, as he transferred from Miami into JUCO, and now finds himself at Purdue for the next season.

Anthony Richardson / DUAL

Welcome to the NFL, Anthony Richardson.

Richardson, former 4-star DUAL/QB, found himself as the Gators’ starting quarterback by year three.

In his freshman year, Richardson was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, and in the 2022 season, was nothing short of great. Despite a very up-and-down season for the entire Gators team as a whole, Richardson racked up 2,549 passing yards on 17 touchdowns while also adding 654 yards rushing with 9 touchdowns.

Soon after he declared for the NFL draft, the hype surrounding Richardson continued to build every day. Fast forward to the draft, Richardson was taken 4th overall by the Indianapolis Colts, looking to take the QB1 spot for the upcoming season.

Joshua Braun / OT

Braun was a highly sought-after 4-star in his high school days, picking up offers from Georgia, South Carolina, Florida State, Michigan, Miami, Auburn, and USF. After originally committing to Georgia, the Gators flipped Braun’s commitment once Bulldogs’ offensive line coach Sam Pittman departed from the team, joining Arkansas as the next Razorback head coach.

However, Braun entered the portal in 2022, landing at the University of Arkansas. Braun was a solid piece on the line for Florida, so the Gators will look to replace his production with some of the younger guys coming in.

Gerald Mincey / OT

Unfortunately, the trend of offensive linemen transferring out of Florida in this 2020 class continues with Mincey.

The former 3-star recruit didn’t see much action in his short time at Florida, and due to the coaching change a year into his college career, he made the decision to transfer to Tennessee.

In 2022, Mincey saw action in 457 snaps across nine games for the Volunteers.

Jonathan Odom / TE

Former 3-star recruit Jonathan Odom is one of the few players on this list still with the Gators today. However, Odom has never been a star for the team, as he has mostly played as a backup and special teams player.

Not seeing much action in his first two years with the team, Odom finally saw action on the field for this past season, notching 7 receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

With the TE room being up in the air this season, we could be in store for some more action from Odom, but Gator fans shouldn’t expect anything eye-popping or flashy from the veteran TE.

Richard Leonard / OG

Last, but not least, is former 3-star OG Richard “Richie” Leonard. Leonard is the only offensive lineman in this class who is still with the team today.

Leonard appeared in 11 games this past season and made one start for the Gators. Something notable for Leonard is his ability to play multiple spots on the line, as he has gotten reps at both Guard and Center. Notably, Leonard was a member of the offensive line this past season that blocked for 594 yards and 5 touchdowns against the Tennessee Vols (Sept. 26th).

With the offensive line being a struggling unit in recent years for the Gators, Leonard will most certainly bring a veteran presence and mindset to help the younger players for this upcoming season.

Gator Country will take a look at the defensive side of the class in part two of this series.

(Article by Ryan Licht)

Nick Marcinko
Nick is a recent graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in Telecommunications. He is passionate about all sports but specifically baseball and football. Nick interned at Inside the Gators and worked part time with Knights247 before joining the Gator Country family. Nick enjoys spending his free time golfing and at the beach.