From Role Player to Playmaker, Gators WR Kadarius Toney Turned Heads in 2020

Becoming the team's best receiver this season, Gators receiver Kadarius Toney took the SEC by storm in 2020.

Called a "get-it-to" player for years prior to 2020, Florida Gators wide receiver Kadarius Toney shed that moniker and never looked back from Week 1 of this season until his final game in a Gators uniform in the SEC Championship game. A do-it-all guy, truly did it all and more this season, becoming the best receiver on the team.

Toney has been named a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, an award given annually to the nation's most versatile player.

Entering the year as a senior receiver, Toney was expected to fill major shoes following the departure of the team's top four receivers from 2019, including Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain. All four receivers would eventually enter the NFL, and have stuck with their respective teams throughout the year.

While the shoes were massive, Toney provided plenty of excitement and filled the shoes more than one could ask for from, what many described, as a perceived scat-back type of player prior to this year. No, Toney showed the nation why he should be thought of, and now is thought of, as a legitimate wide receiver worthy of being drafted at the position to the NFL.

"I feel like I made a lot of strides through learning and practicing from coach Billy Gonzales, just running different routes, different patterns, different ways to get open. I feel like I got more into that, took off I guess. I guess you could say that," Toney explained following the team's loss against Alabama in the SEC Championship game this year.

A modest Toney exploded with production, accounting for 70 receptions for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns through 11 games this year. In the team's final three games of the season, Toney accounted for 25 receptions for 443 yards and six touchdowns. His three-game stretch was among the best in Florida history.

The NFL-bound receiver's best traits were highlighted this year, including his much-improved route running ability and already-known traits of breaking tackles. Throughout the year, Toney put on a highlight reel of fun, forcing defenders to miss from all directions, never having a chance to catch the elusive unicorn.

#Florida WR Kadarius Toney is another example of a wideout that uses basketball crossovers to generate separation. His come mostly on the second level though.

He makes it tough for slot defenders to get hands on him. Lightning quick feet and over-exaggerated hands/head fakes. pic.twitter.com/fx3yQywK0C

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) December 30, 2020

During the year, Toney received plenty of praise from both his head coach in Dan Mullen and offensive coordinator in Brian Johnson. Prior to the SEC Championship game against Alabama, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban also had plenty to say about Toney and what he brings to the table.

Simply put, the praise has been warranted and certainly noticed throughout the year.

"What people don’t realize about Kadarius is he’s an extremely intelligent football player," Johnson said on Dec. 22. "He understands the game and he’s an ultimate competitor. He really works at it, he works at his craft. [Florida receivers] coach Gonzales does a great job of helping him develop and really hone his skills in. Once he settled in and got the reps that he needed it was no surprise that he took off and was one of the best players in America.”

While it may not have been a surprise to the Florida coaching staff that Toney performed as well as he did this year, it was to many onlookers who had an outside perspective of the Florida receiver. Prior to this season, Toney accounted for just 50 receptions for just 506 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't exactly lighting up the SEC gridiron during the early portion of his career.

This year, however, was quite different, and a reason why Toney deserves to go as high as he will in this year's upcoming draft. Through hard work and dedication, Toney improved greatly, showcasing all of the ability the Florida coaching staff thought he had during their first years coaching the former prep school quarterback.

"He's an amazing, not just athlete but I think, one of the things that's changed about him this year that everybody can see is, he went from a guy that was a playmaker into a guy that is an every-down, one of the best wide receivers in the country," Mullen stated on Dec. 22.

Mullen would go on to mention Toney's return ability, and his ability to even pass the football if need-be, stating that he might have "the strongest arm on the team." Toney's ability as a technical runner and the playmaking ability all point towards the chances of him becoming a standout in the NFL when it's all said and done.

"I think KT is going to have an unbelievable NFL career."