Already down multiple receivers due to injury, the Florida Gators lost another as an opt-out.
Already down multiple receivers due to injury, the Florida Gators reportedly lost another as an opt-out.
Already down multiple receivers due to injury, the Florida Gators reportedly lost another as an opt-out. / Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI
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LEXINGTON, Ky.– As the Florida Gators’ 2025 season takes the final turn, one receiver has opted out to keep a redshirt intact.
Sophomore Tank Hawkins, who has played in four games this season, will not dress out for the rest of the season to keep a year of eligibility, SEC Network play-by-play announcer Tom Hart announced in the middle of the first quarter of Florida’s game against Kentucky.
Interim head coach Billy Gonzales confirmed after the loss that Hawkins had indeed opted out but did not clarify if he intended to enter the portal.
“Tank came up, very professional. He came out and asked if he could preserve his redshirt. Absolutely,” Gonzales said. “I said I 100 percent honor it. So at this point yes.”
Hawkins, a four-star in the class of 2024, recorded just two catches for 16 yards this season. Should Hawkins decide to transfer from Florida, he is not eligible to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal until either the Gators hire a new head coach or until the portal window opens on Jan. 2.
Florida players would have previously been able to enter the portal after head coach Billy Napier was fired under the previous NCAA transfer rules.
Hawkins played in eight games as a backup receiver in 2024, recording 10 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, a 36-yarder against Samford that happened to be DJ Lagway’s first career touchdown pass.
Tank Hawkins has only played in four games for the Florida Gators this season.
Tank Hawkins has only played in four games for the Florida Gators this season. / Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI
Hawkins’ absence from Florida’s game against Kentucky was notable due to the Gators already being short-handed at receiver due to various injuries.
Freshman receiver Dallas Wilson will miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury and will receive a redshirt after only playing in four games, and redshirt sophomore Eugene Wilson III is not available due to an undisclosed injury he played through against Georgia.
Additionally, freshman Vernell Brown III and redshirt sophomore Aidan Mizell, both of whom are available against Kentucky, missed the Georgia game with injuries.
As a result of the injuries, Florida is also looking to freshmen Muizz Tounkara and Naeshaun Montgomery as depth pieces.
“You’ve always got to have a backup plan as far as being able to make sure guys can play. That’s development,” interim head coach Billy Gonzales said this week. “Hopefully we’ve done a good job of developing the players behind them to put them in a position.”
Hawkins is Florida’s first public midseason opt-out to keep a year of eligibility with the Gators having four games left in the 2025 season, including Saturday’s matchup against Kentucky.
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