Last preseason, fans and media questioned whether the Gators could replace four senior wide receivers from the 2019 team. At the time, the concerns seemed warranted.
Kadarius Toney hadn’t been anything more than a gadget player, Trevon Grimes had disappeared for large stretches of games and Kyle Pitts was a merely a great tight end instead of a once-in-a-generation type of player.
In hindsight, of course, all of those doubts seem silly. The Gators went on to shatter school and conference passing records, and Pitts and Toney were drafted in the first round.
Now, as the Gators open fall camp on Friday, the storyline is similar. Pitts, Toney and Grimes are in the NFL, and a bunch of unproven but very talented players will look to uphold the high standard of play at the position.
“I would say that we’re not really replacing them,” receiver Justin Shorter said. “I would say we’re just bringing a new crop of wideouts in that are well-trained. I’d say our group is young, but we’re all hungry. Everyone is out there putting in the extra work to really be that big group. We’re really putting in that work, and we’re all just pushing, trying to be great.”
If all goes according to plan, the offense will rely more heavily on the running game this fall, but Shorter doesn’t view the receivers’ role as any less important this year. He says the group will try to fill in for Pitts and Toney by committee; they don’t care who the star is.
“I would say it’s not like that at all,” he said. “I feel like everybody is focused on winning. I feel like that’s the main goal it comes down to. Each person gets a chance to step up and do their part.
“I’d say everyone is just hungry. I feel like we all really want to just win games. That’s the main thing. No one’s really selfish in that room. Everyone loves each other. I would say spring ball made everyone closer, like, so much closer. So, I’d say we’re all really focused on winning, and, whoever gets their own chance to go up there and step up, we’re going to do that.”
The receiver room appears to have the talent to help this team win a bunch of games. Shorter is a former five-star recruit who is a red zone threat with his 6-foot-5 frame. Jacob Copeland should be the new No. 1 receiver, and he is an elite athlete. Xzavier Henderson could be the best all-around playmaker on the team, and Trent Whittemore catches just about everything that touches his hands out of the slot.
One of the biggest keys for the receivers this offseason is to finetune their timing with quarterback Emory Jones. They took some reps with him in practice last season, but they’ve worked even harder to build their connection this offseason.
“Everything is about timing, and our big thing was we all got reps with Emory and Anthony [Richardson] and all the quarterbacks,” Shorter said. “Every single day, we have been out there on the field throwing and trying to get our timing down. Even yesterday, we were out throwing it around and running routes. It’s just a timing thing.”
Without the two best playmakers from last year’s historic offense, it’s only logical that the passing game will take a step back. That’s not a knock on the current crop of receivers; that’s just the reality of replacing a pair of All-Americans.
But UF’s wide receivers have been in this position before. Count them out at your own peril.
“Our group has worked extremely hard, and we have Coach [Billy Gonzales] leading us,” Shorter said. “We all can’t wait. We’ve been quiet, but we can’t wait for this year. When we go out there and Emory throws out that first ball, folks are going to stand up and scream. I just can’t wait until we can show that off.”