Florida football: Second-year players who'll become stars in 2023

Florida football: Second-year players who’ll become stars in 2023

Florida Gators wide receiver Caleb Douglas (12) celebrates a touchdown during the second half against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Sunday, October 2, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Eastern Washington Eagles /

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Florida Gators wide receiver Caleb Douglas (12) catches a pass during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 12, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Carolina GamecocksSyndication Gator Sports /

While he wasn’t exactly the highest-rated recruit in the 2022 class and Florida had a handful of guys who were ranked higher, Caleb Douglas still had a decent impact in his first season and looked like he could be a legit receiving threat for the Gators moving forward.

With Justin Shorter moving on to the NFL, the Gators bring back Ricky Pearsall and Xzavier Henderson as the top two receivers. While that’s good news for the Gators, there’s still no clear go-to target.

I think Henderson and Pearsall both have the potential to be WR1s but they’ll need a complementary threat to open up the passing game alongside them. I think Douglas could be just that.

Douglas was the No. 464 overall recruit in 2022 and he came in and caught 10 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman. I think he could slide right into a major role with the Gators in 2023.

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