GAINESVILLE — Florida wide receiver Tre Wilson was miscast, marginalized and eventually lost in former coach Billy Napier’s passing game.
The redshirt sophomore is poised to return to the mix as the Gators push to open up the offense, spread the field and get playmakers in space for an attack that has averaged an SEC-low 17 points against FBS foes.
Wilson’s re-emergence with interim coach Billy Gonzales tweaking the attack could be key to UF (3-4, 2-2 SEC) upsetting No. 5 Georgia (6-1, 4-1) Saturday in Jacksonville.
“We want to try to get our playmakers the ball,” Gonzales, the team’s longtime receivers coach, said. “We definitely want to be able to try to get him the ball. He’s had a good week of practice, and you earn the right to touch the ball.”
Wilson will be need to more involved. True freshman phenom Vernell Brown III, the team’s leading receiver, and speedy redshirt sophomore Aidan Mizell are out with injuries.
Wilson, 20, has waited patiently for his opportunity, contributing where he can.
Florida wide receiver Tre Wilson has 18 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Consider UF’s 29-21 win Oct. 4 against Texas, when he failed to catch a pass. But after the Gators rushed for 159 yards, Napier praised Wilson’s perimeter blocking — long a point of emphasis by Gonzales.
“There’s only one one ball, and you’ve got a bunch of skilled guys,” Gonzales said. “When it doesn’t come your way, how are you going to respond? How are you going to react? He’s done a fantastic job.”
Yet, Wilson has bigger goals.
After totaling 61 receptions for 538 yards and scoring a team-high six touchdowns in 2023, last season he managed just 19 catches for 266 yards and a score in five games before season-ending hip surgery. With 10 pounds of added muscle, the 5-foot-10, 191-pound Wilson reached speeds during conditioning drills he never had and aimed to elevate his game to another level.
Instead, Wilson caught five screen passes for minus-4 yards during the season opener against Long Island University. Since then, he’s been involved infrequently and used often as a decoy.
UF targeted Wilson five times the past three games, while Dallas Wilson received 22 targets, Brown 18, UCLA transfer J. Michael Sturdivant 13 and Mizell nine (in two games). Along the way, Wilson also lost his role on end-arounds to Brown, who is one of the SEC’s top freshmen — like Wilson once was.
“I admire about Tre a lot,” Sturdivant said this week. “You wouldn’t be able to tell that he was having a down year if you came to watch the practice. He’s a workhorse.”
Sturdivant hopes to see Wilson more involved as quarterback DJ Lagway and the Gators attack a Georgia pass defense ranked just 12th in the SEC.
“I’d love to see him shine and get the ball,” Sturdivant said.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
