Xzavier Henderson on his 3-TD scrimmage: ‘I left a lot out there’

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•04/08/23•

ZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Had Florida Gators coach Billy Napier named an MVP of the team’s latest scrimmage, that designation would have belonged to Xzavier Henderson.

The senior wide receiver was a standout performer on Thursday, hauling in three touchdown passes as UF scrimmaged inside The Swamp for the second time this spring.

“Xzavier Henderson had an exceptional day. Made a ton of plays and got a ton of production. The ball went his way and he made some really good plays,” Napier said afterward. “For the most part, Xzavier, I thought every time I turned around, he was making a play.”

Henderson felt that the performance was one of his best practices as a Gator. He’s never caught multiple touchdowns in a game before and has five scores in his three-year career.

“I feel like I had a pretty good scrimmage stat-wise, I had three touchdowns, so it was probably one of the better scrimmages I’ve had in college football,” Henderson said.

With three touchdowns, Henderson scored more than half of his career total on Thursday. He broke down how he found the end zone on each play.

“One of the touchdowns was deep. One was off a middle hook and a YAC touchdown, yards after catch. The last one was a redzone lockout play,” he said.

Despite his strong showing, Henderson wasn’t satisfied with his stat line or scores. He wanted more and had an opportunity to make additional plays.

“I still feel like I left a lot out there,” Henderson said.

Xzavier Henderson on Billy G

Henderson has a new position coach this spring — his old one. Billy Gonzales was hired back in March for his third stint as the wide receivers coach for the Florida Gators.

His first was 2005-09 and he returned from 2018-21. During his last stop in Gainesville, Gonzales served as Henderson’s primary recruiter and coached him for two years.

“When coach Nape came and told me, I was pretty excited. I ain’t gonna lie. That’s the man who recruited me. He was here when I first got here and he taught me the most I know about playing receiver,” Henderson said. “He’s still the same Billy G.

“He still brings that same energy and that’s what I love about him. He’s the same person regardless. It’s contagious. I feel like you can just go around the locker room and ask how people feel about him. He’s going to coach you. That’s a real coach.”

Gonzales gave his thoughts Saturday on Henderson’s performance in the scrimmage. He racked up more than 100 yards receiving, according to Gonzales.

“Xavier did an excellent job the other day,” he said. “He’s playing with confidence right now. Hit three touchdowns for a hundred-plus in the scrimmage. He just does a great job.”

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