Scouting Report: New Florida Gators WR Ricky Pearsall
On Saturday, the Florida Gators landed a commitment from Arizona State transfer receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Pearsall, a low three-star prospect coming out of high school, has outplayed his ranking thus far and Billy Napier and his staff are hoping he can continue to do that in the Swamp. AllGators takes a look at the skill set that the talented transfer will bring to the table when he gets on campus.
First off, standing at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Pearsall has a developed frame that will allow him to make tough contested catches over the middle of the field and absorb contact. With that frame, once the ball is in his hands, he essentially becomes a running back. Pearsall has good vision, he sets up his blocks well and has the ability to break through arm tackles or push off defenders and rack up yards after the catch.
Pearsall also brings a skill set that the Gators wide receiver room desperately needed: Speed and shiftiness. While Florida has plenty of size and straight-line speed in the receiver room, the Gators lack someone that can separate through their routes and that has wiggle after the catch to make defenders miss and Pearsall brings that.
While I wouldn’t say he has elite speed, he does display good speed to take short passes the distance at any moment and shows reliable hands that allow him to make tough catches back across his body, away from his frame or in traffic.
In his three-year ASU career, Pearsall hauled in 61 receptions for 794 yards and five touchdowns over 30 games, breaking out in 2021 with 48 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Pearsall has also posted ten rushing attempts for 78 yards and two scores on the ground and completed three-of-three passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
I would expect Pearsall to make an instant impact this upcoming season, mostly out of the slot, but his versatility and size will allow him to line up all over the field and be used in a variety of ways in Napier’s offense. This was a good pickup for Florida as the Gators were able to hold off Oregon and bring the talented pass-catcher over to the east coast to finish out his college career.
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