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Florida Gators Name Captains for Homecoming Matchup vs. Missouri

The Florida Gators named their four captains for the homecoming weekend matchup against the Missouri Tigers.

Brandon Carroll

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On Friday morning, the Florida Gators announced the four players that will assume captain duties against Missouri in week six.

STAR Tre’Vez Johnson, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, tight end Keon Zipperer and safety Donovan McMillon will represent the program for their homecoming weekend bout.

In his third season in orange and blue, Johnson controls a premier role in the defense for the Gators at STAR. As a result, his status of leadership as a captain in week six makes sense.

Working in rotation with Jadarrius Perkins — as well as true freshman Miguel Mitchell who saw time last week and produced in a way that begs for more time — Johnson’s tallied 11 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception this season.

Ricky Pearsall, who transferred in from Arizona State this offseason, steps in as arguably the headlining act of captains in week six.

Utilized primarily as a middle of the field target so far this season, Pearsall has accounted for 13 receptions, 245 yards and one tocuh down through the air this season. He added one rush for 76 yards and a score against Eastern Washington a week ago, raising eyebrows for a possible extended workload of rushes or reception at or around the line of scrimmage.

Although Pearsall hasn’t received many opportunities to make plays after the catch, the dynamic pass catcher continues to make his impact attack the intermediate middle part of the field.

Despite being listed as second on the tight end depth chart behind Dante Zanders, Zipperer has started to find his niche within the Florida passing game over the past two contests.

Against Tennessee, the Lakeland (Fla.) native had a breakout game of sorts when he caught three balls for 62 yards and a score. He saw similar success despite limited opportunity against Eastern Washington with two receptions for 47 yards.

His emergence adds an extra element to the passing game for Florida as he’s served as a reliable safety valve at times for quarterback Anthony Richardson when plays break down.

Finally, McMillon plays in a rather limited role defensively this season, only recording one total snap before heightened usage in the absence of Trey Dean III against Eastern Washington.

Contributing for five total tackles on the day, McMillon showed his ability to work downhill against the run but didn’t get many opportunities to shine light on his talents as a free range coverage man due to the lack of deep shots from the Eagles offense.

However, McMillon’s impact comes in the third phase of the game, where he’s proven to be a special teams ace in kick and punt coverage this season. He earns the nod to represent the special teams unit for homecoming weekend.

The Gators are scheduled to face off with Missouri on Saturday at noon ET as both squads look to avoid starting 0-3 in SEC play.

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Brandon Carroll
BRANDON CARROLL

Brandon Carroll is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. He serves as the lead reporter for the Florida Gators FanNation-Sports Illustrated website, covering football, basketball and recruiting. When he isn't hard at work, he enjoys listening to music, playing flag football and basketball, spending time with his friends and family, and watching an array of television shows. Follow him on Twitter @itsbcarroll.

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