Billy Napier discusses new WRs Ricky Pearsall, Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman
ATLANTA — Gators coach Billy Napier spoke in the spring about the depth issue at receiver and addressed that need this offseason with the addition of wideouts Ricky Pearsall and Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman.
Napier reiterated his confidence in Florida’s top five receivers Wednesday at SEC Media Days, but said Pearsall and Bowman provide the position with some new weapons.
“I like our receiver group. We’ve got a handful of really good players. I think some that are experienced, some that are very capable. I think we needed complimentary players,” Napier said. “I often say that the receiving group is a basketball team. You need a center, a power forward, a three-guard, you need a two-guard, you need a point guard.
“And I think we added a couple players that have some of the things that we needed: speed, change of direction, run after catch, vertical threat, and I think both of these guys do that. Ricky obviously has been a very productive player. He was the leading receiver at Arizona State and has film. There’s no question that he’s garnered the respect of our team so far, just in 8-9 weeks.”
One sign of that respect was Ricky Pearsall getting assigned the No. 1 jersey for this season. He finished 2021 with 48 receptions, 580 receiving yards and four touchdowns, leading the Sun Devils in all three categories.
“I don’t really think Coach Napier really cares about numbers,” UF quarterback Anthony Richardson acknowledged. “To get No. 1 at the University of Florida is a big deal. We can’t just put that to the side. There’s a lot riding on him. I have faith in him. He’s a dude. … I like Ricky. He’s shifty, smooth, he’s efficient. He’s smart, too. We added some depth to the receiver room.
“When we first threw together, he was asking questions like, ‘Should I run this route this way if a person does this?’ Stuff like that. I was like, ‘Ok, I can work with this guy.’ We’ll be on the same page. Getting the chemistry together. I trust him. I’m ready to see how we perform together in the season.”
Napier on adding Chiaokhiao-Bowman
The last addition to Florida’s 2022 roster was Chiaokhiao-Bowman, who has five years to play four.
He was ranked the No. 2 overall prep school prospect by 247Sports and committed to the Gators over Ole Miss, Illinois and Nebraska.
“Thai got banged up early on arrival, but Thai’s earning respect as well,” Napier said of Chiaokhiao-Bowman. “He was a guy who passed our evaluations, and he was in this class and we found out he was available as a high school qualifier, so we made a decision to go ahead and bring him in.
“So, he has character. He’s been mentored by some great receiver coaches and receivers. His brother played at Northwestern and had a cup of coffee in the league. He’s got a football background and I think he’s really got good intangibles and I think he’s going to bring some things to our team.”
