Billy Napier Offers Injury Updates for Florida TEs

Florida's tight end position is lacking available depth in spring camp due to injuries, much like a year ago. But this time around, freshmen are stepping up to fill the void.

Photo: Dante Zanders; Credit: Alex Shepherd 

Similar to his first spring camp in Gainesville, Billy Napier's Florida tight end room is currently lacking in available contributors.

In 2022, Napier asked defensive linemen Dante Zanders and Griffin McDowell and walk-on linebacker Noah Keeter to move to the position after tight ends Jonathan Odom, Nick Elksnis and Gage Wilcox were sidelined with various injuries during the spring. Wilcox ended up stepping away from the game entirely. 

Of that group, only Zanders and Odom remain with the Gators, as McDowell and Elksnis transferred elsewhere this offseason and Keeter retired from football. Zanders' successful transition a year ago vaulted him into a starting role within Florida's offense in Napier's debut campaign with the team.

Neither Zanders nor Odom is currently participating in Florida's 2023 spring camp due to injuries. Keon Zipperer, a 2022 co-starter, is also absent and will be out "a significant amount of time" while recovering from a severe knee injury, according to Napier.

Zanders, the most recent tight end to exit spring practices, is nursing a shoulder injury and won't face nearly as long a recovery timeline as Zipperer, per Napier. He could miss UF's upcoming Orange and Blue spring game on Apr. 13, however. 

“Zanders just has an AC sprain, nothing significant there," Napier explained on Thursday. "Just no contact. Fell down. Caught a ball, landed. He’ll be back, he may not make it back by Thursday but it’s not a long-term issue."

Odom, meanwhile, has yet to practice this spring while recovering from a serious knee injury of his own, suffered in Florida's Dec. 2022 Las Vegas Bowl matchup with Oregon State. 

Napier shared his belief, though, that Odom could potentially make his return to the playing field by the beginning of the 2023 regular season. He propped the tight end up for his mental aptitude, suggesting Odom is "bright enough" to earn snaps in Week 1 after missing a sizeable portion of the offseason program — so long as he is physically capable.

"I do think that Odom is anticipated to be kind of right on that line. He’s working extremely hard," Napier said. "One thing about Odom, he’s very smart. I think he, when forced into playing time last year at the end of the year he really emerged. There’s something to be said for that experience."

The trio of Zipperer, Zanders and Odom combined for 30 receptions, 321 yards and three touchdowns in 2022.

Their absences have created opportunities for the anticipated depth members of Florida's tight end room to make names for themselves in elevated roles. Unlike in year one, Napier has relied upon the young talent he signed in the recruiting class of 2022 to shoulder the load at the spot this spring rather than pluck players from other positions to fill the void. 

Redshirt freshmen Hayden Hansen and Arlis Boardingham have led the tight ends through position drills during recent media viewing periods of spring practice and are expected to field significant roles in the approaching spring game. Grayshirt freshman Tony Livingston has also impressed those around him after joining the program in December. 

"Yeah, the tight end group in particular today I thought caught the ball well, ran after the catch well," Napier stated in reference to the freshmen trio after the Gators' first scrimmage on March 28. He reiterated the thought on Thursday. 

"We'll see where we're at in the blocking game and the run game, but for the most part Arlis made some plays today, Hayden Hansen made some plays, Tony Livingston made some plays. There was a lot of positives out there with the tight end group." 

More from Arlis Boardingham pic.twitter.com/QwSRjchhzr

— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) April 1, 2023

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