Elijhah Badger has been a win for Florida Football out of the transfer portal
When the initial winter transfer portal ended for Florida Football, we liked some of the individual players the Gators had picked up but we still had concerns at wide reciever. Yes, the Gators had picked up Chimere Dike, but the all-around depth and production of the position was a massive question mark because no one beyond Tre Wilson had any relevant experience.
This heightened the focus in the spring transfer portal to find another wide receiver, and the Gators found themselves a stud at the last minute who has emerged as one of the best in the country.
Florida Football: Badger Badger Badger
When Elijhah Badger initially popped up on the radar for Florida back in May, we noted at the time he was a luxury item that had zero downside for the Gators:
"Badger's stat line speaks for itself, with two straight seasons of at least 65 catches and at least 700 yards. But what stands out on film is that once he catches the ball, there is no wasted movement in getting up field. He simply catches, plants his foot, and goes upfield."
We were excited about his ability to get yards after the catch, and among receivers who had at least 30 targets, he was 20th in the country last year in average yards after the catch with 8.4 yards.
But, of the 458 wide receivers who had at least 30 targets, Badger also had the 34th lowest average depth of target (AKA how far down the field are you when targeted).
Translation: Badger came to Florida with a lot of similarities in his game to Tre Wilson.
While we thought this season we would see Wilson get down the field more often, Badger has emerged as Florida's downfield threat. In 2023, Badger had an ADOT of 7.3 yards per target. In 2024, Badger has an ADOT of 19.5 yards per target.
That's 9th furthest ADOT in the country among the 471 wide receivers who have at least 15 targets in 2024.
More importantly, Badger is catching the ball when thrown to him at a rate of 71% to rank 108th out of 471.
Add the 9th furthest ADOT with a reception rate that is among the top 25% in the country, and Badger has 22 catches for 524 yards for an average of 23.82 yards per catch.
That is the best yards-per-catch average in the country.
In truth, Badger had some opportunities earlier in the season that Graham Mertz just couldn't hit. Paired with DJ Lagway, Badger has the potential to keep putting up massive numbers. It's a long shot, but if Badger can average 95.2 yards per game the rest of the way, he would eclipse the 1,000 mark. He is coming off a 148-yard outing against Kentucky on just three catches.
And even if he doesn't match his Kentucky performance, Badger at least gives opposing defenses one more thing to think about that could also open up the running game as Florida enters their final stretch.