Gators’ Ricky Pearsall sets sights on 1,000-yard season entering UF-FSU clash
GAINESVILLE — Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall awoke Monday with a one-track mind and a 1,000-yard stare.
He immediately reached for his phone to make sure new starting quarterback Max Brown was on the same page.
“I texted him: 1 is always open,” Pearsall said. “That’s first thing I did.”
Pearsall aims to make the most of his last home game in the Gators’ No. 1 jersey as he pushes to become the program’s first 1,000-yard receiver since 2002, when Taylor Jacobs was catching passes from Rex Grossman.
The magic number is 52, Pearsall is well aware. He’s only missed the mark twice in 2023, during resounding wins against Tennessee (43 yards) and Vanderbilt (34).
But Pearsall has much higher hopes for Senior Night in the Swamp when the Gators (5-6) host unbeaten Florida State (11-0).
“Fifty-two sounds pretty good. But I think 150 sounds a little bit better,” he quipped.
Pearsall came close during his first tussle with Seminoles.
During last season’s 45-38 loss in Tallahassee he caught 5 passes for 148 yards, including touchdowns of 52 and 43 yards from Anthony Richardson.
The performance set the tone for relentless offseason.
Pearsall dropped his body fat from 11% to 8%, added 4 pounds of lean muscle, improved his speed and developed timing and chemistry with Wisconsin transfer quarterback Graham Mertz.
The combination produced 63 catches for 941 yards and 4 scores before Mertz broke his collarbone at the end of an 11-yard run during last Saturday’s 33-31 loss at Missouri.
Brown’s first pass after he stepped in was a 7-yarder to Pearsall on second-and-8 late in the third quarter, but was their only connection.
Pearsall expects Brown to seek him out much more during his final game in the Swamp. The redshirt freshman took over at Mizzou and nearly engineered an upset as 11-point underdogs.
“I was actually just talking to him about it,” Pearsall said. “I told him I was super proud of him for stepping up in a game like that. He’s a super confident player.”
Pearsall and the Gators will need Brown to build on an impressive showing in relief, other than a costly red-zone fumble during a handoff. He finished 5 of 6 passing for 56 yards and rushed for 53 yards, not including an 11-yard sack.
Barring a Florida upset to secure bowl eligibility, Saturday night will be Pearsall’s final appearance.
The 23-year-old had high hopes when he left Arizona State and his Phoenix home during the spring of 2022 seeking greener pastures in Gainesville. If his college career ends this weekend, he’ll move on knowing he gave everything he had to the Gators and received plenty in return.
“I obviously knew this was a fantastic university,” he said. “But it’s definitely exceeded my expectations just because all the love and support I’ve received here. I just felt like everybody’s had my back ever since I got here, and I kind of can’t thank Gator Nation enough.”
Pearsall’s mother, father, two of his three sisters and some friends will be on the field prior to kickoff as players in their final game are honored. An “emotional, passionate dude” by his own admission, Pearsall does not know how he’ll handle the moment.
“I’m vulnerable enough to say that I do cry,” he said. “So tears might come out.”
Catches, yards and a spot in the school’s record book are likely to follow.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com