Florida’s TJ Abrams Hopeful to Turn Unfortunate Situation into Opportunity
Florida has seen its fair share of disappointment in multiple areas of the team this season. While most look at the shocking regression of quarterback DJ Lagway or the constant coaching distractions of former coach Billy Napier and now the question of who will replace him. Few will dig past that to find a vital issue — the crushing injuries at vital positions, none bigger than wide receiver.
Florida watched its former five-star recruit Dallas Wilson sit on the sidelines with a lower-body injury suffered in fall camp that forced him to miss four games. Wilson made an impactful return against No. 9 Texas by hauling in 12 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. His production fell off from there, but against Georgia, the 6-foot-5 freshman took another spill and left the game with a foot injury, only to be announced later that he would require season-ending surgery.
Following a stellar freshman season, Eugene Wilson III has dealed with back-to-back harsh endings to his season. In 2024, Wilson III dealt with injuries in Weeks 3-6 before suffering a season-ending hip injury that forced him to redshirt. Hopeful of a comeback in the 2025 season, Wilson III took the field, finally healthy, but did not seem to be getting the production he thought.
Eager to stay the course, his time finally came in game eight against No. 5 Georgia, where the redshirt sophomore tallied 121 yards on nine catches, including a 40-yard touchdown. But leading into the week of the Kentucky game, Wilson was spotted in a walking boot on his left foot, which interim coach Billy Gonzales announced to be a high-ankle sprain that required season-ending ankle surgery.
“He’s going to have a tight-rope procedure to give him the best opportunity to get back to himself coming off it to get ready for spring ball. Tough son of a gun,” Gonzales said.
With the two mainstay receivers gone, the Gators have seen freshman sensation Vernell Brown III miss some time due to an AC sprain, junior Aidan Mizell mix in-and-out of the lineup due to lower-body injuries and then just inconsistent play from other guys like J.Micheal Sturdivant and Hayden Hanson.
But between the injuries and poor play, the window of opportunity has opened for T.J. Abrams to take advantage. The 5-foot-10 redshirt freshman from Fort Myers is another one of Florida’s youngsters getting a chance to showcase themselves as the season winds down.
After appearing in five games, totaling two catches for 34 yards in 2024, Abrams found himself toward the bottom of the wideout pecking order this season. Despite his spot in the order, Abrams continues to go out and put the best product he can on the field, appearing in seven games where he’s hauled in 10 catches for 125 yards.
Like so many talented prospects that come to Florida, their first year can be a transition in many ways, one of not making an immediate impact on the field. Abrams, a former four-star recruit, found himself in that spot, but credits former Gators receiver Chimere Dike for showing him the ropes and being as role model.
“It was definitely hard coming in, always starting in high school, like as a freshman. But I seen guys in front of me like Chim and Badge (Elijhah Badger), like them guys worked their whole life to be where they was and where they at right now, so it wasn’t really that bad of me just sitting behind and watching,” Abrams said. “Chim was my roommate before games and seeing how focused and locked in he was, I’m glad he was my roommate, it changed how I looked at everything, how I look at ball, how I look at plays, Chim was that guy, like the role model that you want.”
After putting on a good showing against Georgia, Abrams found himself as the starting Z receiver on Florida’s rep chart leading into the Kentucky game. Abrams said it is not considered a depth chart because Gonzales says that the chart is always subject to change based on people’s efforts in practice during the week.
While acknowledging that he still needed to put out a good week of practice, the chance to make his first-career start brought a sense of joy Abrams had been searching for since arriving last year. A man of superstitions, Abrams always makes sure to call his mother leading into game weeks and this was no exception.
“Let her know the day of on Monday that I found out, like, I could start this week. I told her I could, just to keep it on the table, just in case anything went wrong,” Abrams told WRUF’s Kevin Winter. “And then on Friday, I was like, yeah, I’m starting tomorrow, like, it’s a big game for me.”
Abrams described not much of a difference starting compared to subbing in and believes that the most important thing is knowing your role and executing it.
While Florida struggled to do anything right offensively – turned the ball over four times, only scored seven points and did not have a pass-catcher over 30 yards receiving — it was still a good moment for Abrams to get consistent playing time despite the loss. He finished with 28 yards on a team-high four catches.
With his role expected to only get bigger, Abrams is grateful for it, even though the circumstances getting here were less than ideal.
“Yeah, it’s definitely the opportunity I’ve been looking for,” Abrams said. “I’m glad that it came, I’m not happy that it came the way it did, but I’m ready to step up to the plate and show them what I’m made of.”
With one start under his belt, Abrams now gets ready for the final road trip of the year against No. 7 Ole Miss. Abrams did not play against the Rebels last season, but remembers the feeling of knocking them out of playoff contention and hopes to repeat history with a massive upset win tonight. Florida must get a win to keep its bowl hopes alive; a loss would mean the fourth losing season in five years.
Even though the stakes are higher for this game for obvious reasons, Abrams says the team is treating this like any other regular-season game. Still, Abrams and company are motivated to put out a good product and compete.
“Yeah definitely, that was my first start, having it go like that, that’s something that’s been on my mind the whole week so I’ve been working hard this week, to get back,” Abrams said. “When we get on the field it’s going to be a different show, like, we’re coming to play this week.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
