It hasn’t been the season many were expecting out of Eugene Wilson III. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver has caught just 18 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns through seven games in 2025.
The lack of production has caught most of Gator Nation by surprise. After all, Wilson III was a Freshman All-American in 2023 after 61 receptions for 538 yards and six touchdowns. He was off to a promising sophomore campaign too before suffering a season ending injury after four games.
There are a few reasons for this. For starters, Florida’s passing offense hasn’t been nearly as good as advertised. The Gators rank 67th in the country in passing yards per game and 12th in the SEC. There simply hasn’t been an abundance of yards to go around.
Florida’s wide receiver room is also very talented. The freshmen duo of Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson is the best in the country, and Wilson III’s role has decreased as a result. Aidan Mizell has flashed when healthy and UCLA transfer J-Michael Sturdivant is in the mix as well.
Even still, it doesn’t feel like Wilson III should ever be held to 10 yards or less in a game, which has happened five times in seven games this season. Wilson III has 264 snaps on the season, the third most among Florida wide receivers. However, in two of Florida’s last three games, Wilson III has been held without a catch.
That’s likely to change in week ten vs. Georgia. Besides the fact that Vernell Brown III is out for the game due to injury, Wilson III is coming off a great two weeks of practice according to interim head coach Billy Gonzales.
“Anything like he’s practiced the past two weeks, I think he’ll have an opportunity,” Gonzales said during Wednesday’s press conference. “I think he’s going to have a really good game.”
“We definitely want to be able to try to get him the ball. He’s had a good week of practice, and you earn the right to touch the ball throughout the week as well,” Gonzales added.
Gonzales, who is now the interim head coach, previously served as Florida’s wide receiver coach, a position he played in college and has worked with for over 32 years. Nobody knows the skillsets of Florida’s wide receivers better than Gonzales. This in itself may create more opportunities for Wilson III moving forward.
“I think that’s a game plan to get any of your playmakers the ball,” Gonzales said. “Again, you’re limited when you have one ball and you got three or four guys out there. Yeah, we want to try to get our playmakers the ball. Try to get them the opportunities, so they can make the plays – whether it’s catching a bubble, whether it’s catching a hitch, whether it’s catching a 30- to 40- yard pass.”
Wilson III may be frustrated with his lack of involvement in Florida’s offense; most players would be. But he hasn’t shown it on the practice field.
“There’s only one ball, and you’ve got a bunch of skilled guys that are fully capable of taking it to the house or getting the ball in their hands to make plays. When it doesn’t come your way, how are you going to respond? How are you going to react? And he’s done a fantastic job,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales has noticed an increased level of confidence from Wilson III despite just three catches for 45 yards over the last three games.
“He wants the ball, and I want him to want the ball. I want him tugging on my shirt and saying, ‘Listen, I can beat the guy over me. Give you the ball in this play.’ I want that. I want guys that have a little bit of cockiness, but confident cockiness. But he’s had a really, really good week of practice, last two weeks has been really good for him. I think his confidence has really risen. So, I’m excited. I can’t wait to see him,” Gonzales said.
With Vernell Brown III and Aidan Mizell sidelined for the contest, Wilson III will have a prime opportunity for a breakout week vs. Georgia on Saturday afternoon.
Individual success vs. the Bulldogs wouldn’t be new to the Tampa native. Wilson III caught a career high 11 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman in 2023. Wilson III didn’t play in the Georgia game last season.