Senior receiver Ricky Pearsall needs 52 receiving yards in Saturday’s week 13 clash with FSU to eclipse a 1,000-yard season, a milestone that hasn’t been accomplished at Florida since 2002 (Taylor Jacobs).
“It’s a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the season,” Pearsall said on reaching the 1,000-yard mark. “It’s right there, 52 yards away.”
Although history is in striking distance for the 6-1, 190-pound receiver, Pearsall assured Gator Nation that this weekend is not about him, but the team.
“I’m more than a personal goal kind of guy. Obviously team goals override that for myself,” Pearsall said. “I think the W is going to feel a lot better than any personal achievement to me personally, but I know within myself that I’m a thousand-yard guy. Whether I get it or not, I’m a thousand-yard guy.”
If you include Pearsall’s rushing yards from this season, he is a thousand-yard guy as the Arizona native has three carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in 2023. In Week 12, Pearsall moved into ninth all-time at Florida in career rushing yards as a wide receiver (175) following his 39-yard TD run against Missouri.
Emotions will be running high for Pearsall as he’s set to play in front of his family and friends for Florida’s Senior Day.
“I’ve got some family coming out. Obviously my parents. Got two of my sisters coming out. I’ve got some friends coming out, too. It will be really good. I’m super excited. It’s going to be very emotional for me,” Pearsall said.
Between senior day, bowl eligibility, a rivalry game, and a 1,000-yard season on the line, the stakes are high for Pearsall and the Gators.
“There’s a lot of motivation that’s going into this game for sure,” Pearsall said. “But inside that locker room, I think there’s just a fire burning for us, just because we need to get a win. It’s about that time. It’s due time to get a win for us and for the university and the program.”
In 2022, Pearsall torched the Seminoles secondary for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
“And I think there’s not a better week to do it than this week especially against these guys,” Pearsall said on FSU. “So I think we’re all excited for that opportunity first and foremost with all the other things, all the extra things going on behind it.”
Pearsall’s decision to transfer to Florida and return for his senior season certainly made a positive impact on his football career. Pearsall will go down as one of the more underrated players in Florida Football History and will look to go out with a bang on Saturday night.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster for me, for sure,” Pearsall said on his time at Florida. “I’m just so grateful to obviously be a part of this university, this great university, and I’m super blessed to be in these shoes. And I’m going to make the most of it on Saturday. But I just want to give all the thanks in the world to Gator Nation and everybody that’s been part of this journey.”
PEARSALL NOTEABLES
- Pearsall has surpassed 90 yards receiving six times and six-plus grabs in seven contests this season.
• Pearsall has recorded a reception in 39-consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in the FBS.
• 70.1% of Pearsall’s 97 catches at Florida (68) have been for first downs (27 of 33 in 2022; 41 of 64 in 2023).
• Pearsall sits t-30th in the FBS (fourth in SEC) with 64 catches and 20th in FBS (fifth in SEC) with 86.2 receiving YPG. - Pearsall has paced Florida in receiving yards in eight of 11 games this year including Week 12 at Missouri and Week 11 at LSU with 103 yards and seven receptions, marking the sixth 100-yard game of his
career including his fifth-such performance as a Gator.
• Pearsall set career highs in Week 7 at South Carolina with 10 catches and 166 yards.
• Pearsall boasts 495 yards and 30 grabs in Florida’s last five games.