After losing Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger to the NFL in the offseason, the Gators have a less experienced wide receiver room entering 2025. However, the talent is just as good if not better after a few key additions. Florida welcomed four freshmen to Gainesville and one transfer, bringing their scholarship total to 11 entering fall camp.
Gator Country breaks down Florida’s wide receiver room ahead of fall camp.
Junior Eugene Wilson III
Back for his junior year, Eugene Wilson III is the veteran in the room as the only returning starter from the 2024 season. After a highly productive freshman campaign with 538 receiving yards and six touchdowns, Wilson III underwent hip surgery which caused him to miss all but four games last season. Still, Wilson III was able to rack up 266 yards and a touchdown on 19 receptions, which ranked third on Florida’s offense despite playing in just four games.
We know what Wilson III is capable of with the ball in his hands after leading Gators’ receivers in yards after catch over the last two seasons. What we don’t know is how Wilson III’s role will change with Lagway under center, or if it will at all. To this point in his career, Wilson III has primarily been used as a gadget guy, catching jet sweeps, pop passes, or bubble screens. The Tampa, Florida native can create space when there’s none there, and that’s how they’ve used him. Wilson III’s average depth of target in 2023 was just 2.8 yards after catching more than 50% of his passed behind the line of scrimmage. His average depth of target jumped to 6.0 yards in 2024 with a limited sample size.
The 5’10, 189-pound receiver has put on muscle and is up nearly 20 pounds from his freshman year. While limited in spring camp, it didn’t look as if Wilson III had lost a step, displaying great acceleration off the line of scrimmage and out of his breaks. Wilson III is a twitchy route runner that can be dangerous if he breaks loose in the middle of the field. With bigger receivers J.Michael Sturdivant and Dallas Wilson in the mix, Wilson III is a guy that can stretch opposing defenses from sideline to sideline and always has to be accounted for.
Senior J.Michael Sturdivant
The Gators needed to add a deep threat receiver this offseason and that’s exactly what they got in J.Michael Sturdivant. The 6’3, 205-pound receiver displays a skillset that should pair well with DJ Lagway’s. As an outside receiver, Sturdivant shows elite ability to track the ball and come down with contest catches, combining for 17 contested catches at an above 45% success rate over the last three seasons.
As a redshirt freshman with Cal, Sturdivant earned Freshman All American honors for hauling in 65 receptions for 755 yards and seven touchdowns. After transferring to UCLA, Sturdivant’s play suffered as a result of poor quarterback play, combining for 912 yards and six touchdowns over the last two seasons including a career low 22 catches for 315 yards in 2024. It would be easy to get discouraged from that stat line, but we’ve seen this story before with guys like Chimere Dike, who recorded just 328 yards in 2023 before transferring to Florida.
Sturdivant is an elite athlete that can get down the field in a hurry. In 2023, Sturdivant made Bruce Feldman’s (The Athletic) ‘freak list’, coming in at No.79 in college football.
“[Sturdivant] is the most gifted wideout the Bruins have had in the Chip Kelly era. Sturdivant has topped out at 23.2 MPH and also bench-pressed close to 300 pounds and squatted almost 400 pounds this offseason,” Feldman wrote.
One weakness in Sturdivant’s game is his hands as he’s dropped 16 passes over the last three years, according to PFF. The good news is that 11 of those drops came back in 2022 while two were last season.
Sturdivant is my pick to lead Florida in receiving yards and touchdowns given his rare blend of size and speed.
Freshman Dallas Wilson
It didn’t take long for me to notice that Dallas Wilson is a special athlete. He doesn’t look or play like a true freshman. Standing at 6’3, 209 pounds, Wilson has the frame to play in the SEC from game one of his freshman year. The media doesn’t get to see very much of camp, but we typically notice when there’s a true freshman on the field, someone who’s just going through the motions. That wasn’t Dallas Wilson. The Tampa native looked comfortable from day one of spring camp and received constant praise from the coaching staff throughout.
Fastforward to Florida’s spring game, Wilson set an Orange and Blue game record with 10 receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance was against Florida’s second team defense, which was probably unfair for both teams, but that just gives you an idea of what Wilson is capable of doing.
Wilson is a big, strong, and fast wide receiver that understands spacing and how to get open. He’s also much improved in run after catch situations, as highlighted by his 51 YAC in the spring game. Wilson controls his body at a high level through traffic, which makes him a threat in contested catch scenarios.
Freshmen are relied upon more than ever before in college football, and Wilson should get significant playing time early in his career.
Redshirt sophomore Aidan Mizell
Aidan Mizell was one of the receivers to step up in Eugene Wilson III’s absence last season, totaling 17 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The 6’2, 176-pound receiver is a big play waiting to happen given his track speed. Mizell was one of just seven SEC wide receivers to have 41+ yard touchdown catches on the year, and he did so across just 258 snaps. Mizell one of the better plays of Florida’s season last year, which was wrongfully called back for a blindside block. Against Mississippi State, Mizell caught a five yard hitch before turning it into a 65-yard touchdown, making multiple defenders miss with his elusiveness and open field speed.
Mizell had an explosive spring with a number of chunk plays in camp, according to wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales. After three starts last season, Mizell has a chance to establish his largest role yet in three years, but he’s got a herd of talented youngsters behind him. Mizell didn’t do a ton of damage in the middle of the field last year with most of his production coming behind the line of scrimmage or 20+ yards down the field. If Mizell can develop the full route tree and put on some more weight, he could be an every down receiver in the SEC.
Sophomore Tank Hawkins
A true freshman in 2024, Tank Hawkins hauled in 10 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown across seven games. His first career catch went for a 36-yard touchdown vs Samford in week two. The 5’9.5, 169-pound receiver had his career high in receptions (7) and yards (60) vs UCF but only caught two more passes the rest of the season. The biggest area for improvement with Hawkins is catch and run situations. Hawkins averaged just 4.6 yards after the catch as a freshman, often times looking for the home run instead of taking what the defense is giving him. Still, Hawkins has track speed and could be a weapon with more development and added muscle.
Redshirt freshman TJ Abrams
TJ Abrams played in five games including the bowl game and redshirted in 2024, recording two receptions for 34 yards. Abrams caught two passes for nine yards in Florida’s spring game and suffered a pair of drops, although he had no issues getting open. Abrams is another receiver with speed in his back pocket.
Freshman Vernell Brown III
Another talented freshman, Vernell Brown III stepped onto campus with elite burst and run after catch ability. After observing him at the Under Armour Camp and throughout Florida’s spring practices, it was clear the freshman legacy had a different level of acceleration. His short area quickness can already compete for the best on the Gators’ roster. That was put on display during Florida’s spring game, where Brown III tallied 30 yards after the catch while leading team blue in receptions.
In 15 games played with Jones High School during his senior season, Brown III hauled in 94 catches for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns. While it’s unclear just how much playing time the 5’11, 172-pound receiver will get in year one, you can expect Florida to try and utilize his skillset in the quick passing game. Brown III is also a candidate to return kicks and punts on special teams.
Redshirt senior Kahleil Jackson
Kahleil Jackson is coming off an ACL injury suffered early in the 2024 season, which limited him throughout spring camp. In 2023, Jackson caught 21 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown. Florida trusts Jackson a lot on the football field as a veteran who’s entering his 6th year with the program. However, the 6’3, 218 pound receiver didn’t look 100% healthy in spring camp and has a way to go if he’s going to compete for playing time in a loaded receiver room.
Freshman Naeshaun Montgomery
Perhaps the most underrated receiver in the entire 2025 recruiting class, Naeshaun Montgomery brings a little bit of everything to the Gators. While the 6’1, 185 pound receiver doesn’t have the speed of Brown III, Wilson III, Mizell, Hawkins, among others, he understands how to get open using leverage and tracks the football at a high level. Montgomery was a standout player at the Under Armour camp where he made a number of touchdowns grabs including one in the final game. Montgomery can create separation underneath and has another speed to win over the top of defenses. He’s more of a finesse receiver, which is a nice change of pace from what Florida has on the roster. Montgomery makes it look effortless on the football field. In nine games with Central High School in Miami, Montgomery hauled in 25 catches for 537 yards and four touchdowns throughout his senior season. During Florida’s spring game, Montgomery caught three passes for 70 yards including a long of 51.
Freshman Muizz Tounkara
Muizz Tounkara didn’t make it to campus until this summer, which will hurt his chances at early playing time in Gainesville. Tounkara has a big frame standing at 6’3.5, 195 pounds, which is something the Gators wanted to add in the 2025 class. In his senior season with Clear Springs High School in Texas, Tounkara finished with 30 receptions for 455 yards and 5 TDs, along with one kick return touchdown.