Ricky Pearsall Continues to Serve as a Mentor for Tre Wilson

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:

Even though he’s no longer officially with the team and prepping for the National Football League Draft, Ricky Pearsall still feels the need to contribute to the Florida Gators.

“I went to their practice two days ago, I believe, and I was just watching Tre Wilson out there at work,” Pearsall said last Thursday at Florida’s Pro Day. “He’s gonna be amazing this year. I'm super excited to watch him work. I've been texting him throughout this time, just giving him feedback. I still got some of the passcodes here so I'm spying a little bit, watching practice, watching one-on-ones, just giving them a little feedback that I can give him and just letting him play his game.”

A season ago during which he had his Air Jordan moment with a near impossible 1-hand catch, Pearsall took freshman Tre Wilson under his wing. He was the savvy been there, done that veteran. Wilson was the freshman with out-of-body experience moves who had people thinking the Gators had found the next Percy. Pearsall caught 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns, numbers that certainly would have been better if not for the broken collarbone suffered by quarterback Graham Mertz in a loss to Missouri.  

Wilson played in the slot, spent most of the season catching tunnel screens and drag patterns. He was the threat underneath while Pearsall spent most of his time running the mid-range to deeper routes. Wilson caught 61 passes for 538 yards, good for six touchdowns.

It was in practice that a bond formed between Wilson and Pearsall, one that continues to thrive. While Wilson was the make-you-miss guy a year ago, he will incorporate much more downfield action into his repertoire in the fall. Because Pearsall fell 35 yards short of becoming Florida’s first wide receiver with 1,000 receiving yards since Taylor Jacobs did it in 2002, Wilson has made it a goal to do it for his friend and mentor this year.

"I mean, I feel that it's mandatory,” Wilson said after Saturday’s practice. “You know, I feel like he was cut short of 1,000 last year. I was really hoping he got it, but now, it's kind of my goal to make it for him now."

Pearsall took a very professional approach to playing receiver. He was such a route-running perfectionist that it is considered one of the chief reasons he could hear his name called in the second round when the NFL drafts in April. Ever the good teammate, Pearsall took on the role of teacher to Wilson’s wide-eyed, freshman understudy a year ago and that extended beyond the pass catching, route running aspects of the position.

One of the first things Pearsall taught Wilson was to take good care of his body.

“Because when I first came in I was having deep tissue issues with my hamstrings and all that,” Wilson said. “And, you know, he comes and lets me know, 'You know, your body is your temple, so make sure to take care of all that and go out there and make plays.’"

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Obviously, Wilson paid attention. He still looks to Pearsall for help.

"Ah shoot, I still look up to him as a mentor,” Wilson said. “You know, we were just getting in some work last week. He most definitely took me under his wing, and I feel like if it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be in the shoes I'm in. But yeah, he most definitely stepped my game up, you know, not just looking up to him but wanting to better myself just because of the level he was on. I want to reach them levels. So he most definitely advanced my game."

Wilson played at a biscuit or two less than 170 as a true freshman. He’s listed at 181 now and says his speed is consistently in the 4.4 range.

Wilson and Kahliel Jackson are Florida’s only experienced wide receivers returning from the 2023 team. Jackson caught 21 passes for 251 yards and a TD as a redshirt freshman in 2023. There isn’t another returning wide receiver who had more than six catches last season. Florida coach Billy Napier dipped into the transfer portal to bring in Chimere Dike from Wisconsin. Dike caught 97 passes for 1,478 yards and nine touchdowns at Wisconsin. His best season was 2022 when he caught 47 passes from Mertz for 689 yards and five touchdowns.

Dike adds experience and knowhow to a receiving room that will be the fastest group the Gators have been able to put on the field in years. The experience of Dike, Wilson and Jackson will be important for bringing along redshirt freshmen Andy Jean and Aidan Mizell and true freshmen TJ Abrams and Tank Hawkins.  

Early spring position assessment: Wilson should be listed among the top five returning receivers in the Southeastern Conference. Dike is deceOverall, it’s a receiving group that will be highly underrated but the combination of a returning starting QB (Mertz) and vertical speed that can stretch the field means there is potential for productivity.

UF BASEBALL: Gators face Florida State in Jacksonville

Ranked as high as fourth (Baseball America) in the latest round of polls, the Gators (14-9) will try to even their in-state rivalry series with Florida State (19-3) this evening at 121 Financial Ballpark in Jacksonville (6 p.m., SEC Network+). The Gators lost the first meeting with the Seminoles, 12-8, in Gainesville a couple of weeks ago.

The Gators come into the game after winning their series with then 5th-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge. Florida lost the first game, 6-1, but rebounded to win game two, 6-4, in 11 innings and then run-ruled the Tigers, 12-2, Sunday. Florida State was swept by Clemson, taking its first three losses of the season.

D1Baseball top 25: 1. Arkansas 19-3; 2. Oregon State 21-2; 3. Clemson 22-2; 4. Texas A&M 21-4; 5. Tennessee 21-4; 6. FLORIDA 14-9; 7. Vanderbilt 19-6; 8. LSU 19-6; 9. Virginia 20-4; 10. Dallas Baptist 19-4; 11. Duke 17-7; 12. Wake Forest 16-7; 13. Virginia Tech 18-4; 14. North Carolina 21-4; 15. East Carolina 16-6; 16. Alabama 18-6; 17. Florida State 19-3; 18. South Carolina 19-5; 19. Coastal Carolina 18-6; 20. UC-Irvine 17-3; 21. Mississippi State 17-8; 22. North Carolina State 15-7; 23. Kansas State 17-6; 24. Kentucky 20-4; 25. Oklahoma 14-9

Baseball America top 25: 1. Arkansas 19-3; 2. Clemson 22-2; 3. Oregon State 21-2; 4. FLORIDA 14-9; 5. Texas A&M 21-3; 6. Tennessee 21-4; 7. Vanderbilt 19-6; 8. Virginia 199-4; 9. LSU 19-6; 10. South Carolina 19-5; 11. Duke 17-7; 12. Florida State 19-3; 13. Wake Forest 16-7; 14. Dallas Baptist 19-4; 15. Alabama 15-6; 16. UC-Irvine 18-3; 17. Mississippi State 17-8; 18. East Carolina 16-6; 19. North Carolina 21-4; 20. Virginia Tech 18-4; 21. Oklahoma 14-9; 22. Ole Miss 17-8; 23. Kentucky 20-4; 24. Georgia 21-4; 25. North Carolina State 15-7

USA Today Coaches top 25: 1. Arkansas 19-3; 2. Oregon State 21-2; 3. Clemson 22-2; 4. Texas A&M 21-3; 5. Tennessee 21-4; 6. FLORIDA 14-9; 7. LSU 19-6; 8. Virginia 20-4; 9. Vanderbilt 19-6; 10. Dallas Baptist 19-4; 11. North Carolina 21-4; 12. Wake Forest 16-7; 13. Duke 17-7; 14. South Carolina 19-5; 15. Virginia Tech 18-4; 16. East Carolina 16-6; 17. Florida State 19-3; 18. Alabama 18-6; 19. UC-Irvine 18-3; 20. Coastal Carolina 18-6; 21. Kentucky 20-4; 22. North Carolina State 15-7; 23. Mississippi State 17-8; 24. Georgia 21-4; 25. TCU 17-7

BASKETBALL COACHING MOVES AND GROOVES

Notable fired basketball coaches and their replacements

Chris Holtman, Ohio State: Ohio State promoted from within, hiring Jake Diebler, who played collegiately for Valpo back when Bryce Drew was the coach.

Tony Stubblefield, DePaul: They hired Chris Holtman. A lot of folks wanted Bobby Hurley.

Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt: The new guy is Mike Byington, who was the head coach at James Madison. If they’re lucky it won’t be until year three that he realizes he made a HUGE mistake.

Juwan Howard, Michigan: Indiana blew it by holding onto Mike Woodson. Dusty May wasn’t willing to wait another year so he’s a Michigan man now.

Jerod Haase, Stanford: The replacement is Kyle Smith, formerly of Washington State, but one of Todd Golden’s mentors both at Columbia and San Francisco.  

Mike Hopkins, Washington: The new guy is Danny Sprinkle, formerly of Utah State. Sprinkle spent one year at Utah State after several as the head coach at Montana State.  

Scott Perra, Rice: Rob Lanier won 20 at SMU so they fired him. Rice hired him immediately. Dumb move SMU, smart move Rice.

Dana Ford, Missouri State: They haven’t been winning consistently since Cuonzo Martin was the head coach. Cuonzo’s coming back.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Dennis Dodd, the top college football writer for CBS Sports has penned an in-depth look at the future of Clemson and Florida State lawsuits against the Atlantic Coast Conference. Included in his analysis is the future of the ACC should other schools such as North Carolina decide they’ve had enough of the ACC and join the lawsuit.

Clemson and FSU are looking with envy at the revenue disparity between the ACC and both the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten. By 2026 the Big Ten will be distributing an estimated $100 million per year. When 2026 rolls around, the two-year impact of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC will be felt and a renegotiated contract with ESPN/ABC should be expected, raising the payout from $80 million to perhaps more than what the Big Ten will pay. Clemson, FSU and everyone else in the ACC will be in the $50 million range by then. So, Clemson and FSU want to extricate from the ACC, fueled by the belief they will be grabbed up by either the Big Ten or SEC.

There is one glaring problem with that assumption. Neither the SEC nor the Big Ten would even have a discussion with Clemson and FSU until AFTER they get a divorce from the ACC. To talk prior to the divorce could involve anti-trust laws but would also involve the ACC going beast mode in a lawsuit claiming their bigger, wealthier cousins are trying to destroy the ACC.

Yet, boosters, school presidents and others are pushing FSU and Clemson to get the divorce. Dodd writes, “Sources told CBS Sports there is way too much credit being given to boosters, presidents and regents/trustees who are fueling this movement.” And suppose they get a divorce? Dodd writes, “It's one thing to get out of the ACC; it's another to find a new home in a timely manner that makes financial sense in the long term.” 

The length of the contract with the ACC is a problem. When Oklahoma and Texas opted to leave for the SEC, the Big 12 television contract was about to come to an end. The same was true for Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington and Oregon. There are 12 more years on the ACC contract that is with ESPN. Why would ESPN be willing to bankrupt the ACC so that Clemson and FSU could join the SEC? And, since the Big Ten has a 3-way contract with Fox, CBS and NBC, it’s not about to engage in a war with ESPN, particularly since ESPN has a new deal for the entire College Football Playoff for seven years after the current contract expires in 2025,

What remains to be seen is what will happen in the event several other ACC schools join in a lawsuit against the league? Even if that were to happen and be successful, there is no guarantee that either Clemson or FSU would be picked up by either the SEC or Big Ten. The SEC already owns the markets in South Carolina and Florida, so if it cherry picked it might try to land North Carolina and Virginia or even North Carolina and Duke. As for the Big Ten, neither Clemson nor FSU are members of the America Association of Universities. In the Big Ten, everyone but Nebraska is a member. Nebraska was booted out of the prestigious academic organization in 2012, but has petitioned to re-join.

Now, maybe FSU and Clemson have the brightest legal minds on the planet at disposal and they know how to navigate the minefield up ahead. But what if they don’t?