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Florida’s Ricky Pearsall Made Catch of the Year, and Fans Were Awestruck

The Florida Gators wideout went viral for his splendid one-handed catch against the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday night in Gainesville.

Mike McDaniel

Florida’s Ricky Pearsall Made Catch of the Year, and Fans Were Awestruck
Florida’s Ricky Pearsall Made Catch of the Year, and Fans Were Awestruck /
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Florida’s game against visiting Charlotte on Saturday night flew under the radar on a gigantic day of college football.

The No. 25 Gators, as a heavy favorite, were expected to cruise to victory. Outside of Florida or North Carolina, it’s unlikely many fans were paying close attention to the game in Gainesville—until a viral highlight began making the rounds on social media.

Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall did his best to make fans pay attention to the action in the Swamp, as he hauled in what was quite possibly the catch of the year in the first quarter from quarterback Graham Mertz.

Not only did Pearsall make a spectacular adjustment in midair to a high throw, but he hauled it in one-handed before getting absolutely drilled by a Charlotte defender.

For my money, it’s the catch of the year in college football thus far, and it’s not particularly close.

Here are some of the best reactions on social media to the unreal catch by Pearsall on Saturday night.

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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.

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