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Florida names team captains for Game 1 vs. Utah

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby: On3 Staff Report08/30/23

Florida has named its team captains for its season opener against Utah, the program announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Doing the honors for Florida in Game 1 will be cornerback Jason Marshall, running back Montrell Johnson, defensive end Princely Umanmielen and receiver Ricky Pearsall.

All four of the team captains are expected to be major contributors for the Gators this fall. Let’s take a closer look at each.

CB Jason Marshall

Florida Gators Jason Marshall
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

A former five-star prospect out of high school, Marshall has absolutely lived up to his billing in his two seasons at Florida. He has started 19 games and appeared in 26, serving as a lockdown cornerback on his side of the field. Opponents have been hesitant to test him.

Even with that, Marshall has managed to post very strong numbers as a cornerback. He’s got 52 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and 13 passes defended. His production has been pretty evenly split across his freshman and sophomore seasons.

RB Montrell Johnson

Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson
(Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)

A Louisiana transfer, Johnson has proven every bit up to the challenge of the SEC. He picked up right where he left off at Louisiana, where he had logged 838 yards as a freshman. Moreover, he has been an excellent culture fit, helping Napier build things up. Now he’ll do it as one of the team captains.

In his first season at Florida, Johnson appeared in all 13 games and started nine of them. He had excellent production, rushing for 841 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also logging 12 catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. He’ll look to improve on those numbers this fall.

DE Princely Umanmielen

Florida Gators defensive end Princely Umanmielen rushes against Missouri
(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Going into his fourth year at Florida, Umanmielen is a player that many NFL Draft scouts have circled as a likely early-round pick after the 2023 season. He’s expected to get the full spotlight on the Florida pass rush now that veteran Brenton Cox has departed.

In three seasons Umanielen has tallied 60 tackles, 13.0 tackles for a loss, 8.0 sacks and three forced fumbles. But the vast majority of that production — 60 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles — came just last year, something of a breakout campaign. He could be poised for even more in 2023.

WR Ricky Pearsall

Florida Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall against Texas A&M
(Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Another of this year’s team captains that is a former transfer, Pearsall enjoyed his first season with Florida after coming over from Arizona State in 2022. He quickly emerged as both a fan favorite and a team leader, showing a lot of heart and passion despite battling through some injuries.

He’ll be counted on to help anchor the passing game this fall. After starting 10 games last year and racking up 33 catches for 661 yards and five touchdowns, could he be poised for even more this fall? That’s certainly the hope at Florida.

While Florida announced its captains for Game 1, it hasn’t clarified whether those will be captains for the whole season or whether the team captains will change from week to week.