'Bright Spot' WRs Give Stagnant Gators' Offense Hope

The Florida Gators may have the best bad offense in college football.

An abundance of talent at almost every position, the Gators' attack has been seen as an overwhelming disappointment through two games in 2025, leaving much to be desired from what Billy Napier believes is his bread and butter.

However sloppy and uninspiring Florida’s offense looked, scoring 16 points Saturday against USF, there were bright spots to be found in receivers Eugene Wilson III and Vernell Brown III.

“Two really good slot players, both made a bunch of plays tonight,” Napier said about the duo after the loss. “Those will be bright spots, but it's hard to have any when you don't get the results you want.”

Wilson, a redshirt sophomore with high expectations since a freshman All-SEC rookie year, has struggled with injuries since his first season in Gainesville. After a Week 1 performance where, despite scoring a touchdown, he ended with negative yards on the day, Napier felt the playmaker was close to making a more serious impact.

“He's one of the better slot players in the country. He's an incredible matchup player. So, we need to continue to try and feature him," Napier said after Week 1. “Stats aren't the whole story… He's back and back to being himself. He'll be a part of it every week."

Eugene Wilson III is one of the lone bright spots on the Florida Gators so far. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

The electric speedster was just that against the Bulls, recording a team-leading seven receptions and 60 yards while scoring his second touchdown of the early season. Notably, he earned a 6.3 average depth of target in the matchup, the second-highest mark in his career, a minimum of three targets, and far above his career average of 3.7.

The usage past the line of scrimmage is something many have been hoping for with such an electric playmaker, and a flexibility Wilson felt comfortable with heading into the year.

“At the end of the day, I'm an athlete. That goes to this point on my playing days, and that goes from being on the offensive side of the ball and even the defensive side of the ball, special teams,” Wilson said in the offseason. “Just go out there and make plays wherever they put me, get the ball in my hands and let me go do what I do."

Finishing right behind Wilson in the box score was the true freshman phenom Brown III, who, through two games, has solidified himself as one of the Gators' more exciting players. On top of five catches for 56 yards on the night, it was the legacy's impact on special teams that gave Florida a jolt of life it needed badly.

Brown III returned a punt for 40 yards in the fourth quarter to set up Wilson III's touchdown catch, which gave Florida a 16-15 lead.

“Obviously the punt return was huge. We were able to capitalize on that” Napier said when talking about both players' impact. “We tried like crazy to get them involved, we did.”

Vernell Brown III’s 4th quarter punt return against USF was the 2nd longest by a Gator in the past 6 years.

He currently averages 21.3 yards per return, the 10th highest in the nation(minimum 3 returns). #Gators

(Video credit @ZachAbolverdi)

pic.twitter.com/Mwzs9sUH9I
— Dylan Olive (@DylanOlive_UF) September 9, 2025

Despite an offense that has been stagnant early in the year, the two receivers give Florida so much potential on that side of the ball, complementing a running back who has been one of the better players in the country, Jadan Baugh. Heading into a matchup against a serious LSU Tigers defense, Napier and the plethora of talent will need to find a way to put it all together before it is too little, too late.

“There is a lot of good on the tape,” Napier said. “We’ve got work to do to get better. Our fans know it, you guys know it, I know it, our players know it. We’ve got to do better.”

Florida undoubtedly has the talent to turn the season around, with their Week 3 matchup in Death Valley a perfect opportunity to prove it to the entire nation.

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