Two seasons ago, Eugene Wilson darted past a pack of Georgia defenders, beelining through the center of the field and outpacing the Bulldogs' secondary for a touchdown on Florida’s opening drive of the game.
Although the Gators were trampled by the then-No. 1 Bulldogs 43-20, Wilson finished the contest with 11 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Now, he looks to get more involved in the Gators’ offense under interim head coach Billy Gonzales, who will debut Florida’s new-look offense led by play-caller Ryan O’Hara and offensive coordinator Russ Callaway.
“We definitely want to be able to try to get [Wilson] the ball,” Gonzales said Oct. 29. “I think he's going to have a really good game, in my opinion.”
Wilson missed last season’s rivalry game against Georgia after dealing with a nagging hip injury that required him to get season-ending surgery midway through the year. Wilson played just four games and took a medical redshirt, allowing him to begin 2025 as a sophomore.
Since the injury, Wilson has failed to reach the heights he did during his freshman season. He has just 18 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns heading into Florida’s matchup with Georgia.
The redshirt sophomore receiver’s impact has been overshadowed by the Gators’ tandem of freshman receivers. Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III both are averaging more catches per game — Brown leading Florida receivers with 32 catches for 451 yards, and Dallas adding 11 receptions, 167 yards and three touchdowns in just three games.
“Playing receiver, that’s just the name of the game,” UF receiver J. Michael Sturdivant said Oct. 29. “You can’t throw yourself the ball, you can’t call the play to get you the ball … We can’t get too emotionally caught up in the results on Saturdays.”
In Florida’s season opener against Long Island, Eugene tallied minus four receiving yards on five receptions. However, the redshirt sophomore did log the Gators’ first receiving touchdown of the season, when quarterback DJ Lagway zipped a four-yard pass to him in the second quarter.
However, since then, Eugene has caught just five catches during conference games, and even failed to record a target in the Gators’ recent victory against Mississippi State.
“Anything like he's practiced the past two weeks, I think he'll have an opportunity,” Gonzales said. “He's bought into the system, he's bought into the culture.”
Eugene could have a larger role Saturday after Brown suffered an AC sprain against Mississippi State, which will sideline him against Georgia. Florida's receiver room will be led by Eugene, Dallas and Sturdivant.
The Florida-Georgia rivalry game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. This will be the last time the rivalry matchup will be played until 2028 due to stadium renovations.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.
Luke is The Alligator's Sports Editor and is a senior sports journalism student. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cat named Pete and going down a rabbit hole of niche professional athletes (shoutout Charles Sims).
