Gators in the NFL: 2025-26 Season Preview

Last Updated: August 19, 2025By


GAINESVILLE, Fla. – THE 2025-26 SEASON IS ALMOST HERE! After 27 long weeks of waiting, the college football and the NFL are almost back. But before we jump into the new season, it’s time to take a look at the former Gators slated to play in the league this season.

For an in-depth look at how former Gators performed last season, click here.

Each week of the 2025-26 season, FloridaGators.com will cover all of the best moments from the NFL stars who made a name for themselves in Gainesville.

Gators to Follow

Every season, new stars emerge in the NFL while veteran players look to build on already storied careers. With 48 players across 26 NFL teams and 13 rookies, former Gators will have plenty of opportunities to cement their legacies at the highest level of the sport.

Offense

Ricky Pearsall – San Francisco 49ers – WR
Pearsall made his NFL debut in Week 7 after an inspiring recovery from a gunshot wound sustained in an attempted robbery and never looked back. In 11 games, he racked up 400 yards and three touchdowns on 31 catches.
Now with a full offseason and a bump up the depth chart, “Slick Rick” is poised for a breakout year two.
 

Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons – TE
“The Unicorn” had a career year in 2024, setting season-highs in touchdowns and catch percentage. Now entering year five, the talented tight end is set to establish himself in one of the league’s youngest and most talented offenses.
“He’s been working hard,” first-year starting QB Michael Penix said. “He’s had a great summer, and I know he said he feels really good coming into camp. I can see it.” It goes without saying that this year is a big one for Pitts.”
 


Defense

Jon Greenard – Minnesota Vikings – OLB
Coming off a dominant 2024 campaign, Greenard enters the 2025 season ranked as one of the NFL’s top 100 players for the first time in his career. The electric pass rusher debuted at No. 48 going into his second season with the Vikings. Look for Greenard to continue his domination in 2025 and record his third straight double-digit sack season.

Gervon Dexter Sr. – Chicago Bears – DL

Dexter Sr. broke out during his sophomore season, starting 15 games for the Bears. Dexter Sr. amassed 51 tackles and four TFLs while doubling his sack total from 2023. The three-year vet is now projected to take most of his reps at nose tackle, a position he feels the most comfortable at.

 


Special Teams

Jeremy Crawshaw – Denver Broncos – P
The only punter drafted in 2025, Crawshaw is set to be the Broncos’ starter in specialist heaven. The Gators’ all-time leader in yards per punt was drafted to the Mile High City in the sixth round, a city notorious for its perfect punting conditions due to the thin air. The Aussie let it fly in his first preseason game, notching one 50-yard boot and pinning another inside the 20.  
 

Ja’Markis Weston – New York Jets – LB
Weston was a do-it-all player in Gainesville, having stints at wide out, safety and edge, but the Clewiston, Florida native made most of his plays on special teams. Weston wasted no time translating that ST prowess to the league, recording two solo tackles and a fumble recovery on a muffed punt. If he can keep providing value in multiple phases of the game, expect Weston to make the Jets’ 53-man.
 

Rookie Gators

The 2025 NFL draft saw seven Gators come off the board. In addition, six other Gators earned their way onto NFL rosters as UDFA’s.

Cam Jackson – Carolina Panthers – DL

A four-year starter in college, Jackson spent three seasons with the Memphis Tigers, two as a starter, before transferring to Florida for his final two collegiate campaigns. During his time in Gainesville, Jackson started in 22 games on the defensive line, recording 69 tackles (31 solo), 4.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks and four pass deflections. Was named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week (2023). Invited to participate in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.

Shemar James – Dallas Cowboys – LB

A three-year letter winner at Florida, James saw the field immediately, playing in all 13 games as a freshman with four starts. The Mobile, Alabama native carved out a larger role in the following two seasons, serving as Florida’s starting linebacker in 21 games (missed the last four games of 2023 to injury). In his three seasons at UF, James racked up 166 tackles (76 solo), 11.5 TFLs, five sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a pick. Was named to the 2022 All-SEC Freshman team and was a 2022 CFN Freshman All-American Honorable Mention. He was also named a team captain for the 2024 season. 

Jeremy Crawshaw – Denver Broncos – P

Spent four seasons as the Gators’ primary punter, seeing action in 53 games while at Florida. Over his collegiate career, he tabbed numerous spots in the UF record book, sitting at first in career punt average (46.4), third in career punt yards (8,820), fourth in career punt attempts (190) and has the 12th longest punt in school history with a 69-yard boot in 2021 against Vanderbilt.

During his time in Gainesville, the Emu Plains, Australia native was named to the AP All-SEC Second Team (2023), a Reese’s Senior Bowl All-American (2024), a CFN All-American Honorable Mention (2024), and was a member of the 2021 All-SEC Freshman Team.

Graham Mertz – Houston Texans – QB

A two-year starter at quarterback for the Gators, Mertz accounted for 3,694 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 73.7 completion percentage as Florida’s signal-caller. Known for his leadership, Mertz was named a team captain ahead of the 2024 season. He totaled 9,099 passing yards, 64 touchdowns and 793 completions with another 205 yards and 13 scores on the ground across his six-year collegiate career.

Elijhah Badger – Kansas City Chiefs – WR

A four-year wide out at Arizona State, Badger transferred to Florida ahead of the 2024 season, where he saw a major role in the offense, leading the Gators with 806 receiving yards on 39 receptions with four touchdowns. Set a career-high against Kentucky with 148 yards on only three receptions for an average of 49.3 yards per catch. Finished his college career with 2,446 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on 181 catches.

Trikweze Bridges – Los Angeles Chargers – S

Bridges played both safety and corner back in his lone season at Florida, leading the Gators with 70 tackles (38 solo). He added two interceptions, six pass breakups, one tackle for loss and two forced fumbles to notch a 71.5 PFF grade across his 13 appearances. Prior to Florida, Bridges played at Oregon, where he appeared in every game for four consecutive seasons. He racked up 163 tackles (94 solo), 15 pass breakups, six interceptions and four forced fumbles in 61 career games.

Jason Marshall Jr. – Miami Dolphins – CB

A four-year starter at corner back for the Gators, Marshall Jr. played in 45 career games while at Florida. Racked up 98 tackles (30 solo), 25 pass break-ups, 7.5 TFLs and two picks throughout his college career.

Ja’Markis Weston – New York Jets – LB

A five-year contributor for the Gators, Weston did it all. The Clewiston, Florida native played in 52 career games, seeing action at wide receiver, defensive back and EDGE. Weston made most of his impact on special teams, racking up 16 tackles (13 solo).

RJ Moten – New England Patriots – LB

Transfer safety-turned-linebacker who played two seasons at Michigan before joining Florida in 2023. Appeared in 19 games as a Gator, recording 29 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 0.5 sacks and a pass breakup across two seasons. At Michigan, Moten totaled 65 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in 28 games. Earned a sociology degree in Fall 2024 and was a four-time conference academic honoree (2x SEC, 2x Big Ten).

Montrell Johnson Jr. – Philadelphia Eagles – RB

A three-year starter at running back for the Gators, Johnson Jr. was the first recruit to follow newly hired head coach Billy Napier to Florida. Across his three seasons in the Orange and Blue, Johnson Jr. has amassed 2,251 yards and 21 touchdowns on 407 rushing attempts, good for an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, where he posted the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash by any running back.

Desmond Watson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DT

A staple in the Gators’ defensive line rotation, Watson appeared in all 51 games during his four-year Gator career. Amassed 63 tackles, three TFLs and 1.5 sacks. Watson also took two snaps at tailback, where he shrugged off defenders for a first down.  

Chimere Dike – Tennessee Titans – WR

A one-year starter at Florida, Dike was named a team captain ahead of the 2024 season. Dike started 11 games with the Gators, playing in all 13, and led the team in receptions with 42 while posting a career-best 783 yards with two touchdowns. Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the Hula Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran the seventh-fastest 40-yard dash by any player (third fastest by a receiver). 

Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson – Tennessee Titans – OL

Crenshaw-Dickson transferred to Florida ahead of the 2024 season. The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle spent the 2024 season anchoring the right side of the Gators’ offensive line where he racked up 685 snaps in 11 starts. Crenshaw-Dickson’s 80.4 offensive grade and 81.8 pass-blocking grade ranked 53rd and 129th among all offensive linemen. The redshirt senior also allowed zero sacks individually on the season.

Same Gators, New Threads

The 2025 offseason did not disappoint, shaking up the landscape of the NFL. During the shuffle, 15 Gators found new teams to call home.

C.J. Henderson: Signed by the Atlanta Falcons

T.J. Slaton: Signed by the Cincinnati Bengals

Taven Bryan: Signed by the Cincinnati Bengals

Dante Fowler Jr.: Signed by the Dallas Cowboys

Kaiir Elam: Traded to the Dallas Cowboys

C.J. Gardner-Johnson: Signed by the Houston Texans

Trent Brown: Signed by the Houston Texans

Fred Johnson: Signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars

David Sharpe: Signed by the Los Angeles Chargers 

DJ Humphries: Signed by the Los Angeles Rams

Jonathan Bullard: Signed by the New Orleans Saints

Stone Forsythe: Signed by the New York Giants

Demarcus Robinson: Signed by the San Francisco 49ers

Van Jefferson: Signed by the Tennessee Titans

Amari Burney: Claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans

 

For a complete list of Gators in the NFL, see below.

Atlanta Falcons

8 – Kyle Pitts – TE – 5 years

30 – C.J. Henderson – CB – 6 years

Buffalo Bills
64 – O’Cyrus Torrence – G – 3 years
75 – Richard Gouraige – OT – 3 years

Carolina Panthers

55 – Cam Jackson – DT – Rookie

Chicago Bears

99 – Gervon Dexter Sr. – DL – 3 years

Cincinnati Bengals

2 – Evan McPherson – K – 5 years

24 – Marco Wilson – CB – 5 years

70 – Taven Bryan – DT – 8 years

98 – T.J. Slaton Jr. – DL – 5 years

Dallas Cowboys

13 – Dante Fowler Jr. – DE – 11 years

20 – Kaiir Elam – CB – 4 years

21 – Malik Davis – RB – 3 years

50 – Shemar James – LB – Rookie

Denver Broncos

16 – Jeremy Crawshaw – P – Rookie

Detroit Lions

34 – Alex Anzalone – LB – 9 years

65 – Kingsley Eguakun – C – 1 year

Green Bay Packers

57 – Brenton Cox Jr. – DL – 3 years

Houston Texans

6 – Tommy Townsend – P – 6 years

18 – Graham Mertz – QB – Rookie

23 – C.J. Gardner-Johnson – S – 7 years

31 – Dameon Pierce – RB – 4 years

77 – Trent Brown – OT – 11 years

Indianapolis Colts

5 – Anthony Richardson Sr. – QB – 3 years

Jacksonville Jaguars

51 – Ventrell Miller – LB – 3 years

74 – Fred Johnson – OL – 7 years

Kansas City Chiefs

74 – Jawaan Taylor – OT – 7 years

80 – Elijhah Badger – WR – Rookie

Las Vegas Raiders

88 – Justin Shorter – TE – 3 years

93 – Zach Carter – DT – 4 years

Los Angeles Chargers

31 – Trikweze Bridges – DB – Rookie

72 – David Sharpe – OT – 6 years

Los Angeles Rams

72 – DJ Humphries – OL – 11 years

Miami Dolphins

33 – Jason Marshall Jr. – CB – Rookie

Minnesota Vikings

58 – Jonathan Greenard – OLB – 6 years

New England Patriots

46 – R.J. Moten – LB – Rookie

New Orleans Saints

58 – Jonathan Bullard – DE – 10 years

New York Giants

70 – Stone Forsythe – OL – 5 years

New York Jets

54 – Ja’Markis Weston – LB – Rookie

Philadelphia Eagles

34 – Montrell Johnson Jr. – RB – Rookie

San Francisco 49ers

1 – Ricky Pearsall – WR – 1 year

5 – Demarcus Robinson – WR – 10 years

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2 – Kyle Trask – QB – 5 years

56 – Desmond Watson – NT – Rookie

Tennessee Titans

11 – Van Jefferson – WR – 6 years

17 – Chimere Dike – WR – Rookie

58 – Amari Burney – LB – 3 years

78 – Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson – OT – Rookie

Follow Gators Football on Socials:

X: @GatorsFB

Instagram: @GatorsFB

Facebook: @GatorsFB

Join the Conversation: #GoGators 




Source link

editor's pick

latest video

Sports News To You

Subscribe to receive daily sports scores, hot takes, and breaking news!

you might also like