2020 Florida Gators Season in Review: Tight Ends
It is rare for a football team to feature a tight end as heavily as the Florida Gators did during the 2020 season, but Kyle Pitts, who recently declared for the 2021 NFL Draft, is also a rare athlete.
Throughout the season, Pitts became the focal point of Florida head coach Dan Mullen and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson's offense, for good reason. Standing at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, Pitts was a man amongst men in his domination of the SEC this season.
On the year, Pitts accumulated 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns, all tops for tight ends in not only the SEC itself but in all of college football. Pitts would eventually go on to win the John Mackay Award, given to the nation's top tight end and will likely go in the top 15 of the draft this year.
Pitts also became the first unanimous first-team All-American since Vernon Hargreaves III in 2015. Both Pitts and Hargreaves were named AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp First Team All-Americans.
What made Pitts even great was the connection he had with Gators quarterback, and Heisman finalist, Kyle Trask.
The two shared a bond that appeared unmatched on the gridiron, allowing for Florida's success to continue throughout the season, at least if Pitts was available. Due to an injury to his head and nose, Pitts missed a few games, only able to play in eight during the year - an incredible fact due to his dominance in the record books.
"He's got a ton of God-given ability and he works really, really hard at it. He practices hard. He takes care of his business. He's very, very mature. He's very focused and goal-oriented and self-motivated," Johnson said about Pitts in December.
"Every great player that I've ever been around, they all share very similar traits. It's stuff that's really intangible. Just what kind of work ethic they have, their commitment to perfecting their craft, their practice habits, things of that nature. He checks the box for all of those."
While Pitts was certainly the headliner of the group of tight ends and offensive playmakers the Gators fielded on Saturday's this season, the others that rounded out the group stepped up and made plenty of plays when they needed to.
Gators tight ends coach Tim Brewster has coined his group, and the University of Florida, "Tight End U," and there's plenty of reason why it is labeled as such. Both Keon Zipperer and Kemore Gamble were plenty talented enough to position the Gators to victories this season while Pitts was out due to injury.
On the year, Zipperer would go on to haul in 11 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Gamble would add 10 receptions for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Although the statistics don't showcase just how impressive both looked when needed, it was the timing of the plays the two upperclassmen made.
Against Georgia, Gamble hauled in three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown in Florida's 44-28 victory in Jacksonville, while Zipperer added three receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas.
While not overly productive as receivers both Gamble and Zipperer added plenty in the blocking game, typically staying on as a pseudo-offensive lineman on any given play.
"I was proud of those guys and I always, I want everybody to eat, I want everybody to score," Pitts said of Gamble and Zipperer when asked about the group of tight ends during his absence in November.
"So when they was scoring, I was at home cheering them on and I was calling them after the game and just kinda hyping them by it’s time you keep going, it’s time you keep going so the rest of the season it’s all three of us, me, Jon Odom, Kemore Gamble and Keon Zipperer.”
Next season, the Gators will return not only Gamble and Zipperer but also the aftermentioned Jonathan Odom, who is expected to play a major role. During the 2021 recruiting class, Florida brought in two tight ends, Jacksonville, Fla. native Nick Elksnis and Tampa, Fla. tight end Gage Wilcox.
While it isn't thought of as the "sexy" position group, Florida has made it a premium in Gainesville, and that's a good thing.
