LAS VEGAS — The Gators' roster has been in a state of flux since the end of the regular season, headlined by the exit of quarterback
Anthony Richardson to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Still, they have one more game together, and those who remain are eager to show what they can do in Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon State here at Allegiant Stadium.
"Some players need to get more reps because a lot of people have been leaving, but it's not a bad thing,'' running back
Montrell Johnson Jr. said. "It's a good thing. A lot of young players that don't play are getting those reps, and they need it because they're going to be playing. The conversation going around is just that we have more than enough players to go get it done in Vegas."
Gators head coach
Billy Napier released the team's depth chart for the bowl game on Wednesday. In his first season, Napier has a different team than the one that opened the season with a victory over Utah. The Gators are in Vegas without 21 players who appeared in a game during the season.
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The most significant departures are Richardson, linebacker
Ventrell Miller, All-America offensive lineman
O'Cyrus Torrence and receiver
Justin Shorter. The foursome opted not to play in the bowl game to begin preparing for the draft.
Meanwhile, redshirt junior offensive lineman R
ichard Gouraige and junior defensive tackle
Gervon Dexter Sr. are playing. Both players will enter the draft after the season.
"My mom always just told me to finish what you started," Gouraige said of his decision. "I just always carried that with everything I do."
Dexter, who received a second-round grade recently from the Draft Advisory Board, wants to finish his career with a victory. Florida became bowl eligible with a 38-6 win over South Carolina last month but lost its final two regular-season games to finish 6-6.
The Gators can clinch a winning season with a victory over the Beavers.
"I felt it was the right thing to do,'' Dexter said. "This is what Coach Napier preaches all the time: just be a good teammate. So, I'm just trying to be here to be a good teammate and finish it."
The most notable movement on the depth chart Wednesday is redshirt freshman offensive lineman
Kamryn Waites, listed as the starter at right guard, a spot usually manned by his Torrence. The 6-foot-8, 373-pound Waites transferred from Louisiana and is considered a building block of the future. Freshman
Christian Williams is the second-team right guard.
Torrence isn't the only offensive lineman unavailable Saturday. Reserve
Richie Leonard IV, who played in 11 games and started one, is out with a lower-body injury. The offense gets a boost at receiver with the return of
Xzavier Henderson and
Ja'Quavion Fraziars. Both players missed the Florida State game due to injury.
"There'll be a few positions where there's some challenges in terms of practice and scout teams and those types of things,'' Napier said. "But each group has got a solid group of players. We'll be ready to go."
Defensive back
Jaydon Hill isn't concerned about the roster movement. In his view, the Gators have the talent and motivation to overcome the shifting lineup.
"What I see is a lot of players taking advantage of the opportunity they've been given,'' Hill said.
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FULL DAY
The Gators practiced for the first time in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, getting in a two-hour workout at a local high school. They later attended a Las Vegas Bowl reception ceremony downtown along with Oregon State.
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Florida started the day with Gouraige, running back
Trevor Etienne, receiver
Ricky Pearsall and a handful of offensive teammates participating in a charity event at Opportunity Village.
The players mingled with a group of residents at the non-profit center that serves those in the Las Vegas area with intellectual disabilities. A group of defensive players is scheduled to participate in a similar event on Thursday.
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CROSSING PATHS (AGAIN)
The Gators are facing Oregon State for the first time in school history on Saturday, but they know Beavers outside linebacker
Andrew Chatfield Jr.
Chatfield played for the Gators as recently as last season's season opener against Florida Atlantic. He announced plans to transfer a season ago but remained on the roster through the Alabama game.
Gators defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. planned to catch up with a former teammate during his time in Las Vegas. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
In his first season at Oregon State, Chatfield recorded 18 tackles and 1.5 for loss in 11 games. He was second on the team with five quarterback hurries.
Dexter said he and Chatfield traded texts when the Las Vegas Bowl matchup was announced and that he looked forward to catching up with his former teammate. Chatfield signed with the Gators in 2018 out of American Heritage High in south Florida. He had 2.5 sacks in 2020.
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QUOTE OF NOTE I
"Tremendous respect for
Jonathan Smith. I've kept up with his career. We've had a handful of opportunities where we've had some carryover of opponents with Oregon State, and just their identity as a team — offense, defense and special teams — they've done a good job recruiting." — Gators head coach
Billy Napier on Oregon State's coach
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QUOTE OF NOTE II
"Jack has been the same throughout this whole time. He understands what's going on, what he got to do, so I feel confident, real confident in Jack. I'm pretty sure everybody does. He's been practicing with us since the beginning, so we're really not too much worried." — Gators linebacker
Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. on quarterback
Jack Miller III
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EXTRA POINTS
The Florida-Oregon State game is the first Power Five matchup of the 2022 bowl season … Florida is the away team and will be positioned on the East sideline … This is first time Oregon State has faced a team from the Southeastern Conference since a 22-21 loss to LSU to open the 2004 season … Oregon State is favored by 10 in Saturday's game. The Gators seek to upset the oddsmakers,
which is rare when it comes to the Beavers writes
Bill Oram of
The Oregonian … Former Gators
Marco Ortiz (Nebraska),
Griffin McDowell (UT Chattanooga) and
Josh Braun (Arkansas) have announced their transfer destinations … Las Vegas Bowl representative
Mark Wallington, who serves as media relations manager, is a UF graduate and former writer for the
Independent Florida Alligator. Wallington also worked as an intern in the University Athletic Association's communications office. He did a summer internship at UNLV and has been in Las Vegas since.
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