Pearsall Emerging, Other Former Gators Stand Out in NFL Week 3

Former Florida Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall is third in the NFL in receiving yards after Sunday's performance.

Former Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is shining in his second year in the NFL. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

It has been an eventful Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season on Sunday for several former Florida Gators. Some were standouts on offense, while others made their presence known on special teams. 

To start, former Gator and current San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has been unguardable in the first three games of the NFL season. Pearsall is third in the NFL in receiving yards, having 281 yards on 16 catches. Moreover, he is only 52 yards behind first place despite having 13 fewer catches. 

A look at all of #49ers Ricky Pearsall’s 8 catches in Sunday’s W over AZ.

Trent Williams on Pearsall: "I think he's going to cement himself as one of the top receivers in the league here soon.”

Pearsall is #3 in receiving yards with 281, looks like Trent knows ball 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/vIaAdLRpvM

— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) September 22, 2025

The second-year wide receiver has logged two 100-yard games, as well. In the opening weekend of the 2025 season, Pearsall hauled in four passes for 108 yards. Then, this past weekend, he made eight catches for 117 yards. 

Injuries to other 49ers wide receivers have played a part in his emergence, but he is also making the most of the situation. He is now stamping himself as the go-to pass catcher for the undefeated 49ers. 

He wasn’t the only Gator to play a part in San Francisco remaining unbeaten by the end of Week 3. 

Former Gators kicker Eddy Pineiro actually won the game for them over the Arizona Cardinals. Pineiro was 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts and made the only extra point he attempted. His 35-yard field goal as time expired sealed San Francisco's 16-15 win.

#49ers K Eddie Piñeiro is a MOOD after his walk off FG 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BQm5HcMXRW

— Alex Tran (@nineralex) September 21, 2025

There were multiple former Gators who made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, too. 

Houston Texans defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was tied for second on the team in tackles, making five in total in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A trio of Gators saw the field in the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears game. Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. is the most notorious of the bunch, but it was Trikweze Bridges who made the most noise. The now-Cowboys defensive back logged four tackles against the Bears. The other Gator to feature in this game was Cowboys' defensive back Kaiir Elam, who made two tackles. 

For two other Gator alumni, it was a day full of helping out on special teams. 

With the Indianapolis Colts pouring in 41 points on the Tennessee Titans' defense, it meant that Titans receiver Chimere Dike saw a lot of action on the kickoff team. He returned six kickoffs against the Colts and logged 162 total yards on them. His longest of the game was 35 yards. 

As for punter Jeremy Crawshaw, he was on the field more often than not. The Denver Broncos' offense struggled against the Los Angeles Chargers' defense, resulting in seven punts from Crawshaw for 330 total yards. He even made a tackle on one of his punts that was returned.