DB-turned-WR Fenley Graham one of 6 Gators taking reps in return game

Florida coach Billy Napier calls his special teams players “gamechangers”, and UF sure could use some in the return game. 

The Gators haven’t scored on kickoff return in the last five seasons and have returned just two punts for touchdowns since 2016.

Kadarius Toney took one to the house in 2020 and Freddie Swain brought a punt back in 2018. Florida’s last touchdown on kickoff was Antonio Callaway’s 2016 return against Missouri. 

Malik Davis was UF’s primary kickoff returner last season with 14 attempts for an average of 22.79 yards, which ranked fourth in the SEC. Ja’Markis Weston also returned three kickoffs for 31 yards and a punt for 14 yards. 

Xzavier Henderson returned 23 punts for 162 yards (7.04 avg.) with a long of 33 and two kickoffs for 26 yards. 

Who will handle return duties for the Gators this year?

In addition to Henderson and Weston, Florida assistant coach Keary Colbert said slot receivers Fenley Graham and Trent Whittemore have been taking reps in the return game this spring along with running back Demarkcus Bowman and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.

“Fenley, he’s one that’s back there. You got Marshall back there, Bowman,” Colbert revealed Saturday. “I think when Nay’Quan [Wright] gets back healthy, he’ll be back there. Henderson, Whittemore, Weston. We’ve got a number of different guys that have kind of been rotating, whether it’s kickoff return or punt return.

“So, got some good options and obviously we’ll have some young guys that come in once fall camp starts. We’re just kind of rotating those guys and just kind of see who’s most comfortable back there.”

Graham has been highly anticipated on special teams after starring as a returner at Lakeland High School. He averaged 48.6 yards per kickoff return in 2018 and 44.3 yards as a senior. He also averaged 22.6 yards per punt return in 2018 and 21.7 yards in 2019 with two touchdowns.

Graham will have to unseat Henderson if he wants to return punts, while the kickoff return duties are up for grabs with Davis gone. Colbert was asked if anyone has stood out in practice, but he wasn’t naming names.

“We have a lot of guys that have experience, whether it’s high school or some of them having experience here. And we’re going to continue to develop those guys and the other guys that come in,” Colbert said. “So, Coach Napier has a good feel for it and our coaching staff has a good feel for it.

“And we’ll keep trying guys out and obviously we got a little time. We’re not playing a game next week or anything, so we still got some time to get some guys developed in the right way.”

Fenley Graham’s move to WR

In addition to competing for a starting job in the return game, Graham is also learning a new position this spring.

After contributing the past two seasons primarily in a special teams role, making five career tackles, he moved from defensive back to slot receiver prior to camp.

“When I first got here, he was in the defensive backs room,” Colbert said of Fenley, “but he would jokingly tell me that he played offense in high school and that ‘I can return.’ So the next thing I know — a couple weeks later, our maybe a month — we actually started taking about making the move. He’s been a joy to have in the room and I’m excited for what he’s been doing for sure.”

Graham played some receiver in high school, but it had been years since he ran routes or caught passes. That was evident in the first week of practice with his drops and missteps, but Colbert said the 5-foot-9, 166-pound athlete is making strides.

“He’s been doing pretty good, working hard, trying to get adjusted to the playbook, being a defensive player a year ago. He’s trying to do all the little things right, working hard every day, and we’re excited to have him on this side of the ball,” Colbert said of Fenley.

“He’s an athlete and a lot of these guys played both ways in high school or their entire life. Yes, he’s been in the defensive back room and backpedaling and stuff, but when you’ve got natural good athletes like Fenley, they can transition over and it’s like riding a bike. They get back into the groove of running routes and he’s been doing a good job of adjusting.”