Projecting the Florida Gators 2020 Fall Camp Special Teams Depth Chart

After what feels like the longest offseason in recent memory, the Florida Gators are set to kick off their fall football camp on Aug 17. The change from Aug. 7 stemmed from a change in direction by the SEC to delay camp for an extra week to give players the opportunity to become re-acclimated, safely.

Until then, we'll be projecting the Gators' depth chart, position by position to familiarize fans with the roster that head coach Dan Mullen and staff yield this year. We have already gone over the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive and defensive linemen, cornerbacks and safeties.

Now, we will take a look at the final unit on the Gators' roster, special teams. The special teams group is led by running backs coach Greg Knox who doubles as the team's special teams coordinator. The group consists of kickers, punters, long snappers and punt and kick returners.

The Gators are entering the year after losing the second Townsend brother, Tommy Townsend, who signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition to Townsend, his long snapper, Jacob Tilghman, graduated after spending his redshirt senior year as the team's primary long snapper.

Finally, the Gators are losing both of their primary return-men in wide receivers Freddie Swain and Tyrie Cleveland.

Kickers

Evan McPherson

McPherson, a junior, returns as the team's starting kicker this season as one of the top kickers in the nation. Last season, he finished 10th nationally in field goal percentage at 89.5% (17 out of 19) while leading the entire SEC.

While there is always competition, if anyone is safe this season from giving up his starting position it would be McPherson. Mullen said as much during his pre-spring press conference prior to the entire college football world came to a screeching halt.

“That’s wide open too," said Mullen, "but Evan is pretty darn good though. I want to see what some of the other guys can do that are coming in. [Zach Sessa] is a new guy coming in. I want to see what he can do. But Even is pretty tough. If you felt there is one that looks secure, it could be Evan. He’s still got to go compete.”

McPherson is currently on the Lou Groza Award watch list, given to the best kicker in the nation.

Chris Howard

As a redshirt junior heading into 2020, Howard is going to have to prove himself worthy of unseating McPherson, however, he does appear to be in line for kicking duties if McPherson decided to enter the draft early after a remarkable season. Thus far in his career, Howard has attempted and made four extra points, while kicking the football off a couple of times in 2019.

Zack Sessa

Brought in as competition, Sessa, a sophomore in 2020, will also be vying for the starting kicker job along with Howard, however, he would have an uphill battle. A top-30 kicker in the class of 2019, Sessa had previously signed with Georgia Southern.

Punters

Jeremy Crawshaw

With Townsend now gone, the Gators will be in search of a new punter. That may come from freshman Australian punter Jeremy Crawshaw. He will compete with Finn, however, as an early enrollee the Gators likely see something special in him, giving him a potential upper hand.

Jacob Finn

Finn, a redshirt senior heading into 2020, could be in line for the starting punting job if he showcases his talent during the fall camp. Given the amount of time the Gators' staff has been able to view him, it could be Finn's job to land, however, Crawshaw makes matters rather difficult. Thus far in his career, Finn has attempted two punts for an average of 45.5 yards per punt.

Long Snappers

Brett DioGuardi

The long snapping job will be up for grabs following Tilghman's departure. DioGuardi, a redshirt senior, is heading into his last season as a Gators athlete and will likely be given the job based on experience. However, at this point, it is anyone's job to take. For now, DioGuardi has the upper hand.

Marco Ortiz

Ortiz, a redshirt sophomore, has made an appearance in only one game during his career at Florida, in 2019 against Vanderbilt. He will be the major competitor against DioGuardi heading into fall camp.

Returners

Fenley Graham

Graham, a freshman heading into 2020, should be in the leading spot for one or both of the team's return duties.

In his high school career, Graham returned 23 kickoffs for 920 yards (40 yards per return) and three touchdowns, while adding 40 punt returns for 766 yards (19.2 yards per return) and two touchdowns.

Graham originally committed to Florida in January of 2019 and never wavered, finally signing his letter of intent during the early signing period, enrolling in the school officially on July 2 of this year.

Kadarius Toney

A senior heading into 2020, Toney has shown on offense plenty of times throughout the years just how agile and shifty he is. As a return man, Toney could become the Gators' secret weapon and give Toney more opportunities to showcase his talent to NFL teams heading into his final year of eligibility.

In his career, Toney has returned a total of eight kickoffs for 169 yards.

Trevon Grimes

Due to his lanky frame and long-speed, Grimes is a primary candidate for the Gators' kick return duties, although the position has become more obsolete in the college game over the years. Grimes is in a similar position as Toney is in that he could use more showcasing for NFL scouts, and returning the football could be his way in.

Xzavier Henderson

Henderson, another freshman heading into 2020, should become one of the team's return-men at some point in his career. He's entering the facility as one of the top athletes of the 2020 recruiting class, and could become a valuable option down the line.