Gators WRs Fraziars, Weston finish spring on strong note
The Gators lost their leading receiver from a year ago and returned just three wideouts with starting experience.
Justin Shorter (550 yards), Xzavier Henderson (277) and Trent Whittemore (210) combined for 1,037 receiving yards and made 24 total starts last season.
Behind that trio, Florida coach Billy Napier has a couple more receivers he can count on.
“There are a handful of players in that room that I think we could run out there and we can depend on them to do their job and play winning football for Florida,” Napier said of the second scrimmage. “We have a good group of 1s and a couple 2s we can put in the game.”
The two second-team wideouts Napier was referring to became evident in UF’s spring game: Ja’Quavion Fraziars and Ja’Markis Weston. Both are big, 6-foot-3 receivers who will be more involved in the Gators’ rotation this year after scoring their first touchdowns last season.
On the opening drive by the Orange offense, Jack Miller’s first pass and four of his first seven attempts went to Fraziars. He caught a 16-yard pass from Miller and also had receptions of 15 and 10 yards, along with a nine-yard grab on third-and-7.
Fraziars was targeted a team-high 11 times and led all receivers with five catches for 53 yards. He clearly developed some chemistry with Miller during camp.
“Yeah I think so, for sure,” Miller said of Fraziars. “He’s super talented and he’s going to be a really good player.”
Weston wasn’t targeted like Fraziars last Thursday, but made one of the top plays in the spring game.
On the first offensive series for the Blue team, Weston scored the first touchdown of the night in the red zone. He caught a pass from Anthony Richardson on a slant route and had a chance to be tackled at the 12-yard line, but ate the contact and then outran two more Gators defensive backs to the end zone.
Weston’s 19-yard score was his only reception of the game, but showed what he’s capable of after the catch.
“Honestly, I was just glad he caught it because it helps my stats a little bit and it helps him a little bit. But him breaking tackles and being a playmaker, that’s a blessing just having guys on the outside that can do that,” Richardson said of Weston. “Seeing him running in there, it builds his confidence, it builds our confidence, so it just felt good. I had to celebrate a little with him. I was just thankful he was able to get a touchdown.”
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier celebrates with Florida Gators wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) after a touchdown during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/13155133/Untitled-design-65-2.png)
