Gators great Ricky Pearsall scores first NFL touchdown
Former Florida Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall has scored his first NFL touchdown.
It came in the first quarter Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers in their game at Tampa. The 46-yard catch-and-run came on a throw from quarterback Brock Purdy.
That is Pearsall’s longest reception of the season. He entered the game Sunday with seven catches for 59 yards.
Pearsall played in his first NFL game Oct. 20. That was less than two months after he was shot in the chest during an apparent armed robbery attempt.
It meant everything,” Pearsall told reporters after the game. “Obviously, all the adversity I just went through these past months, it was really good to go out there with my guys again. … At the end of the day when the incident first happened, the first thing I was thinking about was the guys and the coaches in this locker room, the entire staff, and they did a really good job of rallying around me, making sure I stayed up, and it was a huge blessing for me.”
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Pearsall, a Gators standout in 2022 and 2023 after transferring to Florida from Arizona State, had a big career in Gainesville and finished with 98 catches as a Gator. He then was a first-round draft pick (he went 31st overall) this spring by the San Francisco 49ers. The teams had high hopes for him in 2024.
But before the season began, Pearsall was shot in the chest on Aug. 31 in San Francisco’s Union Square by a teen who allegedly attempted to steal Pearsall’s watch. In the struggle, the suspect was also shot. Pearsall was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and released the following day. He was fortunate to be alive but it quickly became apparent he would be okay and possibly play again in the near future.
