Gators’ wide receiver Eugene Wilson quickly flashed and opened the eyes of Gator Nation after an impressive start and finish to his freshman season. In 10 games played a year ago, Wilson recorded 538 yards on 61 catches with a total of six touchdowns. With the departure of former Gators’ wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, the door is wide open for Wilson to double down on those numbers in 2024, and he’s already off to a great start.
Wilson recorded eight receptions for 160 yards and one touchdown that included a 60-yard bomb from quarterback Graham Mertz in Florida’s Orange and Blue Spring game this past Saturday.
“Yeah, he picked up where he left off. Just so explosive in what he does,” Mertz said on Wilson. “I love throwing the rock to him, but he’s taking a big step in understanding route running, and I think that’s one thing that learning from Ricky and then bringing a guy in like Chim that understand how to get open on certain routes, and to be able to talk through that has been big for him. He’s really taken a huge step in route running, which I’ve seen.”
Not only did Eugene Wilson shine in Florida’s Orange and Blue spring game on Saturday, but multiple receivers were making plays left and right. Aidan Mizell, Marcus Burke, Kahleil Jackson and Taylor Spierto combined for 181 total receiving yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. Florida’s offense also had a total of seven receivers record over 20 yards, including freshman receiver Tawaski Abrams and Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike.
“I think we have a bunch of guys. I think Trey has done a fantastic job. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very talented player, but I think we have a lot of guys that can step up and make plays when we need them to. That’s why I’m excited,” Mertz said on the talent in the receiver room. “That’s why I was excited for today because we have a bunch of guys that can make plays.”
It’s clear that Graham Mertz has been the leader of this team for the last two seasons. The energy Mertz can bring to the table is something these players feed off of.
“I feel like he’s taking on that role of leadership, A-1. His positivity and all that just run through his veins, and it really just is running through the whole coach of this team, so it’s good to have him as a leader,” Wilson said on Mertz. “He brings motivation, joy, all that. It’s just who he is as a person. He has that personality and keeps it all as a role model player and coming in the huddle. You can’t have your head down around Graham really no matter what type of day you’re having. It’s the most important dude on the team really.”
One of the bigger mentors for Eugene Wilson throughout the football program last season was former Gators’ wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. The two receivers spent a ton of time together, and Wilson made sure to soak in all the knowledge he could.
“I will say really it was a lot of confidence too. He really broke my ice a little bit,” Wilson on what he learned from Pearsall. “He taught me a lot as far as making the DB play my game and not going out there and running concepts all the time, but being creative and being an artist in the game. That’s one key point that he put on my game.”
Last season, Ricky Pearsall was just 35 yards short of being the first receiver since Taylor Jacobs in 2002 to reach the single-season 1,000-yard receiving mark. Wilson has big shoes to fill, but he’s more than ready for a challenge in 2024.
“Most definitely,” Wilson said on whether he can fill in the role. “I feel like Ricky was cut short of that 1,000-yard mark, so I most definitely have to fill them shoes for him.”
With Wilson missing an entire spring season as a freshman due to enrolling in the month of May, the Tampa native was almost learning on the fly as a freshman receiver. Getting to go through his first spring season is only going to help his comfort level in this offense in year two.
“I feel like these few months in the spring most definitely have been beneficial to me. I wouldn’t say I missed out last year on, but it most definitely is something I could have added on. Can’t really change the past, so we’re going to go forward from here,” Wilson said on missing his spring freshman season.
Wilson has made some of his biggest strides in the weight room after gaining a total 11 pounds since last season. Multiple players including wide receiver Aidan Mizell have seen significant improvement in muscle mass with the recent changes made to Florida’s strength staff.
“I feel like yards after catch. I done put on a few pounds,” Wilson said on the strides made through the spring. “I felt like there was a lot left on the field last year, so I made sure to be able to get after the catch and all that. Our strength staff got me in real good shape, and I got some good time in there. All hands down to them really.”
With the spring season officially wrapped up and the 2024 season under Billy Napier quickly inching closer, the Gators will look to continue improving until week one against the Hurricanes. There’s still a lot yet to be seen, but this team looks to have made some big strides in some key areas in 2024. The Gators still have three players who will look to enroll this summer in linebacker Aaron Chiles, offensive lineman Marcus Mascoll and tight end Amir Jackson.