UF football report: Gators struggle with dropped passes on Day 3 of fall camp

GAINESVILLE — The Florida football team welcomed pleasant practice conditions following a couple of scorchers to kick off fall camp.

The Gators took the field Friday evening after rain showers drenched the area earlier. It was the third of 17 practices prior to Week 1 preparation for an Aug. 31 visit from Miami.

The school provided a 15-minute viewing period for media during individual drills.

Top takeaway: Florida’s top receivers suffered some dropped passes during routes against air. A perfect intermediate pass from quarterback Graham Mertz grazed the fingertips of Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike, who immediately clapped his hands in frustration. The two former teammates have reunited with high hopes for 2024.

Arizona State transfer Elijhah Badger botched a deep throw that was right in the bread basket but fell to the ground. Moments later, sophomore star Eugene Wilson III could not track down a deep ball that went off his hands.

Butterfingers during a snapshot of practice isn’t cause for concern. Yet it’s not ideal as Mertz and the Gators aim to generate many more explosive plays in the passing game after managing just 14 completions of 30 yards or longer in 2023 — fewer than every SEC team but Mississippi State.

Step forward: Coach Russ Callaway drilled the Gators’ tight ends on blocking, with sixth-year senior Keon Zipperer participating fully after knee surgery to repair a damaged ACL. Zipperer’s contributions could be limited by his health and UF’s depth at the position. The Lakeland native who joined UF in 2019 and started six games during the 2022 season wore a brace on his right knee but attacked drills with verve.

A new face: Defensive lineman Tarvorise Brown arrived Thursday as a preferred walk-on pushing to add depth to the Gators’ front. The 6-foot-6 ¾, 290-pound Brown, a redshirt freshman, attended Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College. He hails from Palm Bay, an area that produced Gators star Reggie Nelson, longtime starting center Mike Degory and safety Marcus Maye, now with the Miami Dolphins in his eighth NFL season.

Trainer’s room: OT Fletcher Westphal, the Gators’ top-rated lineman in the 2024 class, wore a black non-contact jersey for the third straight day. Redshirt sophomore tackle Jamari Lyons of Cocoa was back to full contact after wearing a black jersey Thursday.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at moc.lenitnesodnalro@nospmohtge