Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One night after practice during the pandemic-confined 2020 season, Gators running back Nay'Quan Wright pulled open the curtains for a glimpse into his world.

A redshirt freshman at the time, Wright had started to crack the backfield rotation and establish traction for a larger role. On this night, Wright visited his past, the hard-scrabble streets and temptations at every corner near Carol City High in one of Miami Gardens' most perilous neighborhoods.

Long before Wright suffered a broken ankle as a prep junior that trimmed his scholarship offers, he understood the difference between a football injury and a death-defying wound. When Wright was 11, he was shot in the chest during a drive-by shooting as his youth football team practiced.

"A bullet ricocheted off the ground and hit me,'' Wright said then. "A couple of other people also got shot. I overcame that with the grace of God."

A decade after that harrowing experience, Wright is back up, off the ground, and ready to overcome the latest physical obstacle tossed in the way of his 5-foot-9, 202-pound frame. In the victory over Florida State last season, Wright was almost out of bounds soon before halftime when a Seminoles defender crashed down on his left leg.

The final verdict was not kind: a season-ending left ankle fracture, subsequent surgery and months of rehab. A fourth-year junior who is Florida's nominee for the 2022 Wuerffel Trophy — established in 2005 and named after Gators Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel to honor players who serve others, celebrate their impact, and inspire greater service in the world — Wright's perseverance and attitude quickly impressed first-year UF head coach Billy Napier.

"Nay'Quan is one of the players I respect the most on our roster," Napier said this week as the Gators opened training camp. "I think he is real. I think he lives life with integrity. He is who he says he is."

With the departures of running backs Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis, Wright is Florida's leading returning ground-gainer at running back. He rushed for 326 yards and a touchdown a season ago, second only to the 401 yards gained by quarterback Anthony Richardson, who played behind former starting quarterback Emory Jones.

Wright was limited during spring camp, but early indications are that he is healthy and able to make the usual cuts that make him a shifty runner for defenses to bring to the ground. Wright's skill-set was fully displayed in last season's loss to No. 1-ranked Alabama in 'The Swamp.'

With the Gators down by two scores and needing a touchdown to keep the game within reach, Wright accounted for 71 yards on Florida's 11-play, 99-yard drive. He had an 18-yard reception and runs of 30, 16 and 11 yards before being dropped for a 4-yard loss. The drive ended with Jones scoring.

Wright enters the season intent on showing that was just another glimpse into the player who has changed from jersey No. 6 to No. 5, not the full scope of what he can do.

"That just gave people a little bit of my game," he said. "I feel like I haven't enough. I have a lot more to prove."

Wright said he could tell right away that his ankle fracture was severe. He had experience there, too. Once X-rays revealed the damage, Wright put his head down and worked to make a favorable impression on the new coaching staff and recover from the injury.

Wright tried to convince the medical staff that he was ready to go in the spring, but without clearance to participate, he focused on his rehabilitation and looked ahead to preseason camp. He also became a different kind of student with the addition of Tiger Jones, the team's director of speed development.

Wright has worked with Jones to understand more about the movements required to be an efficient runner and the techniques to increase his speed.

"Coach Tiger, he knows the body," Wright said. "I thought you just could run; you know what I mean? He just teaches you how to run, your form, your knee drive. 'Kick down, don't kick back, don't kick out' — that's how you pull your hamstring, kicking out. Just learning the fundamentals of how to run."

Wright is in a backfield mix that includes Montrell Johnson Jr., a transfer from Louisiana, former five-star Lorenzo Lingard and true freshman Trevor Etienne. Wright is the most experienced and perhaps the best receiver among the group, hauling in 14 receptions for 178 yards and a score.

He has become a leader, too.

"Nay'Quan's one of the players on our team who has a voice, who does have an impact," Napier said. "Certainly, for him to get healthy and have an opportunity to be effective on the field and produce on the field is really healthy for our team. Nay'Quan is on schedule. We're excited to have him back out there."

And Wright is glad to be out there. He knows setbacks. He knows about defeating them, too.

Some are bigger than others.

"I just thank God that I'll be able to go out there and compete with my teammates," Wright said this week. "It's been a long process for me. I've been through it but very different for me. One, because like I said before, new coaching staff came in and I just wanted to show those guys what I could do, and I was limited to that. It's definitely a blessing.

"I still have ways to go myself. Definitely, a blessing to be back, though."