As spring practice comes to a close, Florida Gators wide receiver, Eugene Wilson, shares his insights and experiences so far as a Gator. He discusses his personal progress this spring, teamwork, leadership, the team’s shared goals and the areas they’re focusing on for improvement. Wilson talks about the motivational role of quarterback Graham Mertz, the learnings he’s gained from Ricky Pearsall, and his experience with new players like Jadan Baugh.
PODCAST – TRANSFER PORTAL OPENS: NUNNERY TO ENTER – PORTAL TARGETS | SPRING REVIEW
**Q.** **Tre, where do you think you made the most progress this spring, made the most strides?**
A. I feel like yards after catch. I done put on a few pounds. I felt like there was a lot left on the field last year, so I made sure to be able to get after the catch and all that.
**Q.** **How hard is it to work on adding weight to your frame and maintaining your –**
EUGENE WILSON: I took my time with it. Our strength staff got me in real good shape, and I got some good time in there. All hands down to them really.
**Q.** **What are kind of your biggest things you’re trying to work on and improve here over the next — between now and August?**
EUGENE WILSON: I’ll say separation. Separation at the release, beginning the route, top of the route, and just running through balls and all that and being able to find that box a lot.
**Q.** **Obviously you’ve worked a lot with Graham. What’s he been like this spring? A little bit different role than what he had last year.**
EUGENE WILSON: I feel like he’s taking on that role of leadership, A-1. His positivity and all that just run through his veins, and it really just is running through the whole coach of this team, so it’s good to have him as a leader.
**Q.** **One thing when Billy was out here, he was saying that you learned a lot from Ricky last year. Now in your first sort of action without Ricky on the field, just talk a little bit about that and what he taught you last season.**
EUGENE WILSON: I will say really it was a lot of confidence too. He really broke my ice a little bit. He taught me a lot as far as making the DB play my game and not going out there and running concepts all the time, but being creative and being an artist in the game. That’s one key point that he put on my game.
**Q.** **Last season he was a lot of times Graham’s security blanket. Is that a role that you think you can fill this season?**
EUGENE WILSON: Most definitely. I feel like Ricky was cut short of that 1,000 yard mark, so I most definitely have to fill them shoes for him.
**Q.** **How much more comfortable are you in the offense now? You didn’t get a spring last year. You were kind of learning on the fly. Now you know the offense.**
EUGENE WILSON: I feel like these few months in the spring most definitely have been beneficial to me. I wouldn’t say I missed out last year on, but it most definitely is something I could have added on. Can’t really change the past, so we’re going to go forward from here.
**Q.** **What is learning the offense better? How does that help you?**
EUGENE WILSON: It just lets me play a little bit more my game, you know, being able to play a lot more comfortable, a lot more my speed. Not really on other people’s timing.
**Q.** **Obviously that helps you be more of a downfield threat?**
EUGENE WILSON: Most definitely.
**Q.** **Billy talked a lot about the progress DJ made from practice one to Thursday when you guys were doing your overtime drill and when he told you guys that whoever won that overtime drill was going to get three points and just the competitor in him. What changes and growth have you seen in DJ?**
EUGENE WILSON: He is progressing every day. After our first couple of scrimmages, it just kept going up. Even today with all the people around, it didn’t seem to phase him. He is just out there playing his game, and his ice broke. Most definitely his ice broke.
**Q.** **I just talked about Graham a little bit. His leadership, can you just talk about that? What does he bring to the team and bring to you?**
EUGENE WILSON: He brings motivation, joy, all that. It’s just who he is as a person. He has that personality and keeps it all as a role model player and coming in the huddle. You can’t have your head down around Graham really no matter what type of day you’re having. It’s the most important dude on the team really.
**Q.** **Where do you feel like this offense has made the most progress as a whole, as a unit? What’s the biggest thing?**
EUGENE WILSON: I say really just coming together. I feel like that goes for the whole team really. It’s not really no gaps. We’re a whole chain. Everybody got their own link. There’s nowhere it can really break.
**Q.** **Is there an area where you as a group still feel like you have room to grow? What is the focus in order to –**
EUGENE WILSON: I don’t think we’ve ever been satisfied out there a day of practice. I feel like even if we have the best day of practice, spring is always progression to go. We stay unsatisfied, and I feel like it’s always room to grow.
**Q.** **Playing off of that, you guys have four and a half months to answer a lot of questions about what’s the team going to be like this year. What’s your gut feeling today after spring is over? What’s your outlook for the season?**
EUGENE WILSON: I mean, we just got our eyes on Miami right now. Rest our bodies up a little bit and get back at it in the summer.
**Q.** **Does it feel different?**
EUGENE WILSON: Oh, yeah, most definitely. I will say talent, the depth on all the positions and then really the culture too. After all the practices… long, hot days… shoot, we coming in laughing and junk like we ain’t just have a few hours practice and the bodies ain’t drained. Coaches are a real big part of this team.
**Q.** **Jadan Baugh had a good day today. What have you seen from him and then also from KD?**
EUGENE WILSON: Oh, shoot, them boys, like I said, their ice is breaking. Especially Jadan Baugh. That’s what’s up. When I first met him, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t really know too much about him from the recruiting angles and all that. Seeing his first couple of days at practice, I knew he was going to make some shaking, and he most definitely showcased it off today in the spring game. Most definitely.
**Q.** **On the other side of the ball what have you seen from the two guys playing star, Sharif and Gates?**
EUGENE WILSON: Oh, man. I was just talking to my dad about it the other day about how — I mean, they wasn’t really too much on the field last year, but towards the end of the season they was really making their name be shown. Shoot, they stand on it now. Really imprinting it. I feel like they’re out there like they’ve been out there this whole time.
They just dogs on and off the field. The cool guys and nothing can really phase them, so they’re most definitely going to be a huge part of this team.
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