Ricky Pearsall, Graham Mertz Etching Their Way Into Florida History Books
Photo: Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Ricky Pearsall was only two years old the last time a Florida Gators receiver hit 1,000 yards in a season.
"That's when I found out about football right there," Pearsall said on Wednesday.
Now twenty years since Taylor Jacobs hit the mark, Pearsall only needs 124 yards to be the first Gator to achieve 1,000 yards receiving in a season in two decades.
"I'm very excited to be able to go and do that," he said. "It's a goal I set in the very beginning of the season. So I'm still working towards it. Still got to go get it."
In his final collegiate campaign, Pearsall has reached new heights. His 62 catches and 876 yards are both career highs. He is only one receiving touchdown away from matching his career-high of five set last season.
However, his biggest moments are ones not found in a traditional stat book.
Pearsall nearly broke the internet with an Odell Beckham-esque, one-handed grab against Charlotte in Week 4.
Three weeks later, he teamed up with Graham Mertz to keep Florida's hopes for a bowl appearance alive with a game-winning touchdown against South Carolina. He caught 10 catches for 166 yards, both of which set new career bests.
"I've coached some good players. I'll tell you what I really appreciate about Ricky Pearsall is the consistency and the person who shows up every day," said UF head coach Billy Napier. "His attitude, his energy, his leadership. He's a tough dude, and he has values."
The Mertz-Pearsall connection has been a bright spot in what otherwise has been a dull season for the Gators. The two have forged a tremendous bond that began when the former Wisconsin signal-caller transferred to Florida
"He's a brother," Mertz said after Florida's 41-39 win over South Carolina. "Whenever you get to know your teammate, coach always talks about it, but when you form that off-the-field — obviously when I got here, it was about on-the-field stuff, catching, watching a film. It's kind of like a wave of on the field, you get a little bit of time off, off-the-field stuff. He's been awesome."
Like Pearsall, Mertz is hitting new highs with Florida. His 2,720 passing yards and 22 total touchdowns are career-highs, and his two interceptions are a career-low. Not to mention, his 73.3 completion percentage ranks fifth nationwide.
He is also etching his name into the Florida history books.
Against LSU, Mertz broke Tim Tebow's record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception and is on track to be the first Gator since Kyle Trask to throw for a touchdown in every regular season game.
Trask only played in a 10-game regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last time a UF quarterback threw for at least one touchdown in every regular season game was Tebow in 2008.
A lot of Mertz's success can be attributed to his connection with Pearsall.
"I text him before every game, I'm always open. I think we saw eye to eye before he got here," Pearsall said. "He's a really experienced quarterback, a great guy. We just clicked right away."
Pearsall's performance this season has pro scouts taking notice. He earned a Senior Bowl invite this week and an East-West Shrine Game invite a few weeks ago.
"I don't want to say underrated because he's pretty highly regarded out there. I know the National Football League feels that way," Napier said. "Ricky, in my opinion, is the product of a lot of work. He's highly skilled."
As his collegiate career comes to a close, Pearsall is focused on ending the year on a high note. With Florida sitting at five wins, it's only guaranteed two more games this season.
A win in one of those two - either against No. 9 Missouri this week or No. 4 Florida State next week - would send the Gators to a bowl game.
"It's been an emotional roller coaster for me for sure. It's my last year, and I'm not really trying to think about it right now," Pearsall said. "I've got to obviously give my all for these last two games. My two last collegiate games ever, so it's really crazy."
Whether his time in the Orange and Blue ends with a bowl appearance or not, Pearsall emphasized how grateful he is for time brief time in Gainesville.
"It's meant everything to me. I can't thank Gator Nation enough for accepting me and welcoming me into their family, and obviously accepting their traditions, everything that comes with the University of Florida," he said. "I'm super blessed to be here in these shoes."
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