Billy Napier reveals freshman wide receiver moving up depth chart

Florida has high hopes for quarterback Anthony Richardson in 2022, but he can’t do it all himself – he’ll need reliable receivers, and one newcomer has been impressing head coach Billy Napier and his staff since stepping onto campus this offseason.

“I think Caleb [Douglas] in particular showed – he flashed in the scrimmage the other day, made some plays,” Napier said. “Caleb’s a former quarterback. This is a guy who, kind of early in his junior year, started playing the receiver position, so I think we’re excited about his upside. This guy is six-foot-three, maybe some change, he weighs close to 200 pounds.

“He’s got he’s got some unique traits, like the things that are required to play receiver. So, he’s a developmental player that I think is making progress.”

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Douglas, a former USC commit, officially visited Gainesville for the first time in January, where he committed to Napier and the Gators less than a month later on national signing day on Feb. 2.

A product of Missouri City (Texas) Hightower, Douglas possesses additional offers from Notre Dame, Texas, Virginia Tech and Baylor, among others. He is the 50th-ranked wide receiver in the Class of 2022, per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

“Honestly, it was a blessing,” Douglas told On3 at the time of his commitment. “I didn’t have as many offers because I committed early to USC, but it opened up a lot of doors I wasn’t expecting to open. When the SEC started messing with me, I stepped back and had to consider them and find the best fit for me.”

“It came down to relationships and having the chance to play as early as Year 2 based on how I perform,” he added on picking Florida. “How Coach (Billy) Napier interacted with the recruits and the players. I wanted a coach who was interactive and part of the system, and not just a head coach.”

Douglas’ time on the field might be limited as a true freshman, but based on his performance during his first offseason, Napier and crew have high hopes for the Texas native moving forward.