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Florida football: PFF confirms legitimacy of Gators’ youth movement

By Will Thomas

Sep 16, 2023; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) runs with the ball during the first half between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Watkins-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2023; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) runs with the ball during the first half between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Watkins-USA TODAY Sports /
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Florida football is undergoing a youth movement in year two under Billy Napier, and we’ve seen tons of new faces in major roles so far this year.

On both sides of the ball, young guys have stepped up and had impact moments, which is refreshing to see after years of seniority bias on the depth chart.

PFF confirmed what we’ve been saying when they released their top ten Gators so far this year based on their sites’ grades.

Six freshmen occupy spots in the top ten, along with two sophomores who have been all over the field.

Florida football: Numbers don’t lie

Here’s the full list of the top ten players per PFF on the Gators, along with their grades from the site. (via @allgators IG)

  1. FR Eugene Wilson – 85.4
  2. SO Devin Moore – 79.8
  3. FR T.J. Searcy – 79.4
  4. JR Jalen Kimber – 79.2
  5. RS FR Caleb Banks – 78.9
  6. SO Trevor Etienne – 78.2
  7. FR Jordan Castell – 77.6
  8. FR Kelby Collins – 78.6
  9. SR Ricky Pearsall – 74.6
  10. RS FR Jamari Lyons – 74.5

There are a couple of big takeaways from looking at this list. The first of which is that it proves that Billy Napier has an elite eye for talent.

Every name on this list is a guy that Napier recruited to come to Florida, whether it was through the transfer portal or out of high school.

It also proves to recruits that if you can play, you will. A lot of coaches promise prospects early playing time but don’t always follow through.

Billy is putting his elite freshmen on the field and putting them in positions to make big plays. That is something that can open the eyes of recruits all over the country.

As the season goes on, I wouldn’t expect much of this list to change. The grades aren’t based too much on playing time, so as long as the guys lower on the depth chart continue to perform, they’ll stay near the top.

It’s an exciting time in Gainesville, and we’ll see young guys like these making plays for years to come.

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