Opportunities Arising for Gators WR Depth After Shorter, Fraziars Injuries
Photo: Caleb Douglas; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Sophomore Ja'Quavion Fraziars was one of two beneficiaries in the fall-out of Justin Shorter's hamstring injury last week.
Fraziars, alongside true freshman Caleb Douglas, filled in seamlessly at wide receiver against Texas A&M on Saturday, in place of the injured starter and UF's leader in receiving yards this season. Each pass-catcher hauled in a touchdown as the Gators climbed to a 41-24 victory over the Aggies in Week 10.
A similar situation could arise in Week 11, but Douglas won't have Fraziars to split duties with.
In addition to Shorter remaining questionable on the injury report as Florida prepares to host the South Carolina Gamecocks, Fraziars has been ruled out with what head coach Billy Napier described as a "significant" shoulder injury.
Douglas has been listed as a co-first-teamer with Shorter and would start if the veteran is unable to play for the second week in a row.
“He's been modified in practice. He’s been able to do some things. We’ve kind of got him on a pitch count," Napier described of Shorter on Wednesday. "He’s still questionable at this point in time. We’ll see where he's at some more. But he has done work. He's worked yesterday. He worked today. We're just keeping a close eye on him and trying to control the volume.”
Napier indicated that UF's Week 11 depth chart suggests who will see an increased opportunity should Florida be down two outside receivers. Douglas, who has caught four passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns to begin his college career, was elevated the most dramatically.
Douglas is the latest true freshman to emerge as an impact player for Florida under Napier. His third-quarter score against Texas A&M gave the Gators a two-possession lead that they would not squander in College Station, an hour and a half from his hometown of Missouri City.
"You could see Caleb just this week, he knew he was coming back to the home state this week," Napier said of Douglas on Saturday. "He had a good week of practice. Certainly, Shorter gets injured in the game, he sees that coming. Don’t get me wrong: He didn’t play perfect today. But made some critical plays in critical times. He’s a good young player, has a bright future in front of him.”
Walk-on redshirt freshman Kahleil Jackson made his depth chart debut for the season behind Shorter and Douglas. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound local product from Hawthorne tallied his first career reception in Week 5 against Eastern Washington, a catch that went for 20 yards.
At the opposite wide receiver position, redshirt freshmen Daejon Reynolds and Marcus Burke flipped spots as co-second-teamers behind Xzavier Henderson, with Burke now technically listed ahead of Reynolds. The near-6-foot-4, 183-pound Burke has seen an increase in snaps in recent weeks, with 29 in Florida's last two games.
Reynolds, 6-foot-2, 204 pounds, memorably hauled in two passes for 74 yards against Eastern Washington, in the same game that Douglas and Jackson made their first offensive impact for the Gators.
Shorter has undeniably made a big impact on Florida's passing offense this season, but as seen in Week 10, the Gators are comfortable with the depth they've built behind him at receiver. Whether he suits up against South Carolina or not, Douglas, Burke and other reserves are in a position to earn some snaps.
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