Gators reveal captains for season opener against Utah
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators have announced captains for the first game against No. 7 Utah and none should come as a surprise. Quarterback Anthony Richardson, linebacker Ventrell Miller, defensive lineman Gervon Dexter, and running back Nay’Quan Wright were picked to lead the season off.
Speaking after practice on Wednesday, Billy Napier explained what goes into his selecting of captains.
“We tend to give opportunities for individual players throughout the season (as game captains),” Napier said on Wednesday. “We have individuals that represent the team each week based off of merit, based off of their track record and what we’re observing.”
The four players selected are certainly some of the most critical to Florida’s success on the field this season.
Anthony Richardson may be the most critical player on the team. The redshirt sophomore quarterback has drawn comparisons to Cam Newton this offseason. After an injury-plagued 2021 season, he’s also working on staying healthy and available. Richardson will lead the Gators’ offense alongside running back Nay’Quan Wright, who earned the starting job this week.
Ventrell Miller returns for his sixth season after earning a medical hardship in 2021. Miller, who was a team captain in 2021, missed the season with a torn biceps tendon. The Gators’ defense sorely missed him last year and he’s been a veteran voice and leader all offseason.
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Napier’s philosophy on captains
The Gators will likely have different game captains on a week-to-week basis. Napier will select captains early in the week and announce them to the team. The same players that are captains for the season opener won’t necessarily be captains the following week.
At the end of the season, Napier has the team vote on captains, something he considers one of the highest honors they can receive.
“We wait until the season’s over and then we let the players vote and really observe the entire body of work,” Napier said of the team captains. “We give the players an opportunity to give their opinion at the end of the year. I think it’s probably one of the biggest honors that you can get is when you’re actual teammates vote you to be the team captain.
“So, I think the season is where leadership emerges. That’s the ultimate challenge, the ultimate adversity. So I think there’s a there’s a lot of work to be done there and a lot of leadership to be developed. (There) will be tons of opportunity to observe these guys. And I think we’ll let the players vote on the full body of work at the end of the year.”
The Gators will kick off Saturday night at 7:00 from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on ESPN.
