The redshirt sophomore wide receiver found the end zone Saturday, which marked his return after undergoing hip surgery midway through the 2024 season
Florida redshirt sophomore Eugene Wilson III may have scored a touchdown in Saturday's 55-0 victory over Long Island University, yet the most significant feat for the third-year wideout Wilson was his long-awaited return to the field, having undergone surgery in 2024 to repair a congenital hip issue, which limited him to four games in his second season in Gainesville.
Still, finding the endzone was a triumphant moment for the Tampa native.
"It felt good," Wilson said Monday. "Just got up, excited, ready to get back on the sideline with my teammates."
Wilson's excitement to return was evident from his entrance onto Steve Spurrier-Florida field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, as he was the first one out of the field, sprinting past head coach Billy Napier as the crowd roared ahead of UF's season-opener.
"I feel like that just kind of came from it being built up on from all last season being missed out on," he said. "Just being excited for the moment coming up throughout the whole offseason, especially coming out that tunnel."
He initially didn't realize he had flown right past Napier – a family member promptly informed him in the aftermath of Saturday's contest.
"I didn't even realize I ran past Coach Napier," Wilson said with a laugh. "Something just told me to get out in front right away. I just haven't been able to run out the tunnel like that in a minute. Most definitely missed it."
Expected to step into an elevated role in 2024 after a promising freshman campaign, Wilson's season a year ago was cut short, and he'd have an atypical repair process before redshirting, which required him seeing a renowned surgeon in Chicago rather than remain in Gainesville to go under the knife.
Nonetheless, he trusted the plan set out for him by Florida's training staff.
"They told me everything. I feel like we had a good understanding of what was needed to be done," he said. "I trusted them, and I feel like God had me."
In the tough moments, Wilson was able to confide in his father, Eugene Wilson Jr., a two-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots.
"Whenever I feel like I'm kind of going into a dark space or a quiet spot," he said, "I always just kind of lean on my dad, 'cause he done dealt with type of things like that before and you know he's always going to keep my head straight and make sure I ain't fall in too deep."
Soon, by the time spring camp arrived, Wilson said he started feeling like himself again as he inched closer to a return.
"Pretty much around spring when I started running full speed," Wilson said of when he felt near 100 percent. "Obviously, had to get my feet back under me, you know, running out all excited, all explosive and jumping, but just keeping everything detailed up and locked in."
There was a silver lining, too: Wilson gained more knowledge of what it took to maintain his body at an elite level, ensuring when he did return he would be better than he'd been before.
"Throughout the whole process, it kind of allowed me to learn things about my body. Just find out things," he said. "It kind of forced me to dive deeper into nutrition and finding new ways to take care of my body. Just become more of a pro off the field."
Now at full speed, Wilson is poised to be one of sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway's most reliable targets in 2025, and the chemistry between the two feels natural even if Wilson's statistical output aside from the touchdown left much to be desired Saturday.
"I feel like a lot of the chemistry comes from off the field with your quarterback," Wilson said. "Building that relationship off the field with DJ, it's definitely the main thing. On the field, the reps are going to come in."
The two spent much of the offseason working together despite each dealing with their respective recovery processes, which Wilson said helped Lagway settle into the opener — even if Florida's contest against Long Island University had a bit of rust to shake off offensively.
"Everybody I felt like was knocking off rust that game," Wilson said. "First game is always probably the shakiest game for everybody.
"Now, it's time to get going."
The pair's next opportunity to further their on-field rapport comes Saturday against Wilson's hometown team.
"It's exciting. I'm excited for every opponent coming up on our schedule. Just gotta do the preparation and keep our heads down. Make the main thing the main thing," he said. "One of my first recruiting visits was actually (USF against) Florida. The one Anthony Richardson broke out on in 2021. So, that was an exciting game to go to."
When asked if USF's recent upset win grabbed their attention, Wilson didn't mince words at the impact of the upcoming contest.
"We're foaming out the mouth."
It's almost guaranteed Wilson won't be the only one producing Saturday afternoon against the Bulls. Fellow wideouts J. Michael Sturdivant and Vernell Brown III made their own highlight plays Saturday — something Wilson says was never in doubt, having watched the former, who transferred from UCLA, and the latter work throughout the offseason and into fall camp.
"We were kind of expecting that because throughout the whole spring and the whole camp, [VB3] been doing it every day," Wilson said of Brown. "Him going out there and doing what he do. Were just waiting for him to have his moment."
That moment arrived in the first half against the Sharks, and Wilson was visibly fired up when Brown hauled in a dazzling 41-yard reception, which was selected as SportsCenter's No. 1 play the following day.
"I wish I was mic'd up when he made that catch because I was kind of geeked," he said. "I'm thinking the ball is overthrown. He did some freaky stuff right there."
They say comparison is the thief of joy, which may be why Wilson hesitated to compare the catch to Ricky Pearsall's now-iconic grab against Charlotte from the 2023 season.
"I can't even do that because both of them did some freaky stuff right there."
The minimal rust aside from Florida's offense, Wilson remains confident the Gators have an immeasurable ceiling offensively as the season progresses. With him back in the fold, and with weapons surrounding him within Florida's offense, Florida will look to improve to 2-0 when the Gators host Wilson's hometown team Saturday.
"I feel like, really, the sky's the limit," Wilson said. "They said something about having no flags or anything. I thought that was really impressive. We know that we can clean it up and do a lot better than we came out to start with."
This article originates on Swamp247.