Four Gators Named Semi-Finalists for Six Awards, Pitts Named To Three
Four Florida Gators football players have been named semi-finalists to six various end-of-year awards, the National College Football Awards Association recognized on Monday.
While Florida has continued to have team success, it is primarily due to the individual success many of its players have enjoyed throughout this year's shortened 10-game, conference-only schedule within the SEC. The players who have earned semi-finalist nods include, quarterback Kyle Trask, cornerback Kaiir Elam, tight end Kyle Pitts and kicker Evan McPherson.
Trask, a redshirt senior, has been one of the best players in college football and is in line to earn Heisman considerations following the season. Today, he was named a semi-finalist for two awards including the Davey O’Brien Award, an award given to the nation's top passer and the Maxwell Award, an award given to the "best all-around" football player in the nation.
This season, Trask leads the FBS in touchdown passes with 38 and ranks second in passing yards with 3,243. Trask needs just one more touchdown pass (39) to tie former Gators quarterback Danny Wuerffel for the most touchdown passes thrown in a single season in school history.
Pitts, a true junior, was named a semi-finalist for three awards this season, including the Biletnikoff Award, an award given to the nation's best receiver, the Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end and the Maxwell Award.
Through just seven games this season, Pitts has quickly become one of the best offensive players in the nation, catching 36 passes for 641 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 11 touchdown receptions places him at No. 4 in the FBS among all pass catchers and No. 1 among all tight ends.
On Saturday against the Tennessee Volunteers, Pitts logged seven receptions for 128 yards, his third 100-plus-yard receiving game, breaking the school record held by three former Gators, including Kirk Kirkpatrick (1987-90) and ben Troupe (2000-03).
While no tight end has ever won the Biletnikoff Award, Pitts would be an outlier thanks to his most-impressive showing thus far this season, even while playing in just seven games.
Elam, a true sophomore, was named a semi-finalist for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back.
Thus far this season, Elam has accumulated 31 tackles, two interceptions, one tackle-for-loss, ten pass-breakups, helping the defense as a whole hold four of its last six opponents to under 20 points, including this past Saturday's contest against the Volunteers.
Entering the year, Elam was named to the Thrope Award Watch List, the SEC Preseason Coaches Second Team and the SEC Preseason Media Second Team.
McPherson, a junior, was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top placekicker.
This season, McPherson has connected on 12 of 15 of his field goals and 42 out of 42 of his PATs. His longest field goal of the season was 55 yards against Ole Miss in Week 1, tied for the third-longest make in school history.
McPherson is tied for first in the FBS in field goals made past 50 yards this season and is tied for 12th in points scored among all kickers with 78.
