5 Florida Gators "Supporting Role" Players to Watch vs. Oklahoma
On Wednesday, the No. 7 Florida Gators look to take on the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners in the 85th annual Cotton Bowl, the program's third New Year's Six bowl game in a row under head coach Dan Mullen.
Florida will also be without several of its key players, including offensive weapons, wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes along with tight end Kyle Pitts.
With Florida without several of its offensive players and a few key defenders, there will be plenty of opportunities for younger players to make their presence felt against the Sooners, ushering in the new era of Florida football at the same time.
Due to an uptick in COVID-19 positive test results, Florida will also be without several players, including receiver Jacob Copeland, who announced via social media on Monday that he would not be able to participate in the Cotton Bowl due to COVID-19, testing positive "multiple" times.
The Gators as a whole will be down to "about 60" scholarship players, Florida head coach Dan Mullen said on Tuesday, and the supporting role players will play a larger role on the contest today.
"What we're excited about is really getting to see some of the guys, as we have all year. Our guys are excited with the opportunity to get out there and go play," said Mullen.
"So there are guys that have kind of been in maybe that supporting actor role now that are going into the lead role in the show tomorrow night. And so I think those guys are excited for that opportunity to get out there and go make plays. I want to say we're--off scholarship number, I think we probably have about 60 scholarship guys playing in the game."
With that said, here are five key supporting role players to watch for today as they take on the Sooners:
1. WR Xzavier Henderson
For the Gators, they'll be without at least three starters at the receiver position, including Grimes, Toney and Copeland. That means there will be plenty of opportunities for younger players, including freshman receiver Xzavier Henderson.
Henderson, a true freshman, enrolled at Florida prior to the start of the 2020 season and is the younger brother of former Florida cornerback CJ Henderson. Entering campus as a four-star recruit out of Columbus High School (Miami, Fla.), Henderson comes with plenty of pedigree.
At 6-foot-4, Henderson has the size to dominate at this level of play, earning plenty of praise throughout the season for his work ethic. On the year, Henderson accounted for eight receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. Sparingly used, the Cotton Bowl could be a great opportunity for him to earn more playing time next season.
2. OL Joshua Braun
A freshman along the Gators offensive line, Joshua Braun, spent time this season at tackle for the Gators, appearing in four games, including his debut against South Caroline. Bruan also played in games against Texas A&M, Missouri and Georgia during the season.
Enrolling at Florida prior to the 2020 season, Bruan spent his prep career at Suwannee High School in Live Oak, Fla. He earned a four-star grade as a tackle out of high school and boasts a large frame at 6-foot-6, 340 pounds. For the Gators, however, he is expected to compete at guard first, which is where he made several of his snaps this season.
The Gators offensive line had been the brunt of criticism entering the year, however, with the rise in play from left tackle Stone Forsythe, and the addition of transfer guard Stewart Reese, the offensive line play improved greatly. However, next season the team will need to field several new players along the line and Braun could become an important member of the rotation.
3. OL Ethan White
Sticking with the theme of the offensive line, Florida will look forward to sophomore offensive lineman Ethan White earning more playing time during the Cotton Bowl. Entering the year, White was expected to play a major role with the Gators' offensive line, starting at center.
However, after an injury, White was forced to take a backseat with veteran offensive lineman Brett Heggie taking the spot. After several weeks of recovery, White eventually would make his first appearance this year against Arkansas, earning significant snaps against Vanderbilt and LSU.
White will eventually become an integral part of the Florida offensive line, and getting more repetitions for him at center could be an option against the Sooners today.
4. DL Princely Umanmielen
The second freshman on this list, Princely Umanmielen, has flashed plenty of times in limited snaps thus far this season. A former four-star recruit out of Manor (Tx.), Umanmielen possesses the size at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds to become a key player along the Gators defensive line, particularly at defensive end.
On the year, Umanmielen saw action in six games, accounting for three defensive stops, two tackles-for-loss and two sacks. He was able to net back-to-back half-sacks against Georiga and Arkansas while making a solo sack against Tennessee.
With a couple of the Florida defensive lineman not expected to suit up in today's contest, including veteran defensive lineman Kyree Campbell, the Gators could use today's game as a way to see more from their younger role players who are expected to make a sophomore leap next season.
5. LB Derek Wingo
As for the final Gators supporting role player to watch during today's matchup against Oklahoma, freshman linebacker Derek Wingo, who was expected to play a bigger role entering the year, earned plenty of praise prior to the season from linebackers coach Christian Robinson.
Robinson described Wingo as a sponge who was consistently in the playbook, looking to get ahead of the curve while entering the season. This year, however, Wingo didn't earn much playing time on defense, earning his repetitions majorly on special teams. At 6-foot-1, 233 pounds, Wingo possesses all of the size needed to play linebacker for Florida, particularly as a pass rusher.
An athletic linebacker out of St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Wingo ought to be in line for significant playing time during today's matchup. Look for Wingo to also play a major role for the Gators linebacker corp during next season.
