How Former Gators Fared in Week Two of the NFL Preseason

Week Two of the NFL Preseason was littered with good and not-so-good performances from former Florida Gators.

Former Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. has a strong performance in the Indianapolis Colts' preseason game against Green Bay. | Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week Two of the NFL Preseason was littered with good and not-so-good performances from former Florida Gators. Multiple defensive players put on tackling clinics, and some offensive weapons made their presence known in their short time on the field. 

To start, a pair of former Gator receivers shone in the San Fransico 49ers' win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson combined for six catches and 86 yards in this game. Each player had three catches, but Robinson had 44 of the yards while Pearsall logged 42. 

Ricky Pearsall

One drive. 3 catches. 42 yards.

Sitting down on the second target - rather than continuing with the same path as the tracking LB - is good stuff pic.twitter.com/qMz3sPssLv

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) August 17, 2025

Pearsall is entering his second year with the 49ers, and it is shaping up to be a pivotal one. He is coming off a debut season where he managed 400 yards and three touchdowns on 31 catches. 

The more notable detail about this upcoming season is that he is listed as a starting wide receiver on the team’s depth chart. San Fransico traded one of their star receivers, Deebo Samuel, this offseason and with their other one, Brandon Aiyuk, likely sidelined until Week Six of the season, Pearsall has a chance to nail down a role in his team’s offense.  

Shifting focus to quarterbacks, former fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson sought redemption Saturday by returning from a hand injury suffered in the Indianapolis Colts' first preseason game. He completed six of his 11 passes for 73 yards and rushed once for nine yards.

Anthony Richardson placed this deep ball perfectly

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/dPQXQl1dc4

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

Although Richardson did not account for any touchdowns on the day, he did still lead his team to 10 of their 13 first-half points. He did this while playing in just the second quarter. Despite a stronger performance than his competitor for the starting spot, Daniel Jones, the Colts announced on Tuesday plans to give Jones the starting nod.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask appeared in the contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was not his greatest showing. He finished the game 3-for-10 for 19 yards and was sacked once.

Defensively, it was also a good week for former Gator defenders in Week Two.  

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. impressed in his second preseason game on Saturday. He was tied for a team-high in tackles, recording six, and had a tackle-for-loss as well. 

A big takeaway from his defensive efforts against the Detroit Lions was his ability to finish his tackling in the run game. He made multiple tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage against the Lions.  

Jason Marshall making stops vs the run from the nickel. Unexpected but I love to see it #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/PLpgRYtLnL

— Ryder McConville (@RyderM25) August 17, 2025

Former Florida linebacker Shemar James was a bright spot for the Dallas Cowboys' defense against the Baltimore Ravens. He made seven tackles and had one pass deflected in his time on the field. 

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Ventrell Miller had a quality outing on Sunday, tallying four tackles, one sack and one tackle-for-loss. 

Rounding out the Gators who shined, Bengals kicker Evan McPherson was a perfect 5-for-5 on kicks with four extra points and a 54-yard field goal.

3 more on the board!#CINvsWAS on @espn pic.twitter.com/TgnzNJh087

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 19, 2025