Florida Gators 2022 Depth Chart Projection: Specialists
Photo: Jeremy Crawshaw; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Billy Napier's first season in charge of the Florida Gators is approaching quickly, as UF will open its 2022 campaign at home against the No. 7 Utah Utes on Sept. 3.
The Gators still have some shuffling to do in practice before trotting out against the reigning Pac-12 champions. But for the most part, at least the top of Florida's depth chart has taken shape leading into the season, and All Gators is here to break it down position by position.
We've wrapped up offensive and defensive depth chart projections, meaning our final task is to break down the specialists. These positions don't exactly warrant two-deep depth charts, so we've projected a starter at kicker, punter, long snapper, kick and punt returner below.
- Quarterbacks (twice, to assess Jack Miller III's injury impact)
- Running backs
- Wide receivers
- Tight ends
- Offensive line
- Defensive line
- JACK edge rushers
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
- Safeties and STAR
Kicker: Trey Smack
As of Aug. 21, the Gators had yet to identify their starting kicker according to Napier. He even lent credence to the idea of one kicker handling kickoffs and another on for field goals/extra point attempts.
“I think a lot of that is to be determined. We’re going to be evaluating that as we approach the opener," Napier said. "I could see two guys doing two different jobs and I could see it go the other way, too. The good thing is that I don’t think we have a problem. I think we’ve got two guys that are very capable. There’s healthy competition there. I’ve got confidence in both players.”
The two guys Napier referred to are preferred walk-on and redshirt freshman Adam Mihalek and true freshman (on scholarship) Trey Smack.
Mihalek entered the competition for the job with a strong showing in UF's spring game, connecting on field goals from 52 and 49 yards out. He struggled to generate power on kickoffs, but that issue clearly didn't affect him when it came to pointing points on the board.
Smack, meanwhile, was considered a five-star recruit by Kohl's Kicking, the No. 5 kicker in his class by the specialty outlet. He won Kohl's Eastern Showcase Camp in 2021, standing out in the kickoff competition with a mix of great power and controlled hang time as well as finishing tied for first in field goal points.
Considering that the team has yet to finalize a starter, even after Mihalek shined in the spring and Smack's lack of spring availability in spring ball, we believe the latter has picked up enough momentum to earn the gig — otherwise, Mihalek likely would have won the battle by now. Smack's scholarship status certainly boosts his odds to win the job.
However, if Napier believes splitting the job is the best measure to take, Smack handling kickoffs and Mihalek handling placekicks would also make sense.
Punter: Jeremy Crawshaw
The lone scholarship punter on the roster who returns following his debut season as a starter, sophomore Jeremy Crawshaw is the Gators' unquestioned punter No. 1 entering the 2022 season.
Crawshaw, a New South Wales, Australia native, was named to the SEC All-Freshman team following his 2021 campaign after averaging 44.1 yards per punt. He pinned 20 of his punts inside of the 20-yard line and posted a long punt of 69 yards, displaying great power and precision with his kicks.
Crawshaw is a candidate to run fake punts, too. It won't happen often, if ever under Napier, but Crawshaw memorably rushed for 28 yards and a first down via fake punt against Vanderbilt last year.
Long snapper: Marco Ortiz
Much like Crawshaw at punter, redshirt junior Marco Ortiz is the easy favorite to start at long snapper for the Gators in 2022. He manned the role last season for the first time and did well enough to earn a scholarship midway through the season, not muffing a single snap across his 13 appearances.
Kick returner: RB Trevor Etienne
Projecting starting returners is even tougher than the same exercise at kicker, punter and long snapper, as Napier and Co. have their pick of basically any skill player on the roster to choose from to return kicks and punts.
However, Napier has provided one hint throughout the fall as to who could line up on the receiving end of kicks and punts: True freshman running back Trevor Etienne.
"The guy's 5-8 and three-quarters and he weighs 207 pounds. He’s loose, got a low center of gravity, catches the ball," Napier described Etienne on Aug. 24. "I think he's got some returner value."
Simply put, this is the best clue anyone has given when it comes to the returner battles, although Napier didn't specify if he envisions Etienne on kicks or punt returns. Given our projected punt returner's lack of experience when it comes to returning kickoffs, Etienne is likely a better fit at this spot than the other.
Punt returner: WR Xzavier Henderson
Wide receiver Xzavier Henderson was Florida's punt returner a year ago, and we expect that to remain the same this season as he stands above other candidates when it comes to experience.
Henderson averaged 6.8 yards per return across 24 opportunities in 2021, leaving some room for improvement going forward although he was at least serviceable. He has the long speed to break off for big returns, having posted a 4.55-second 40-yard dash in high school.
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