Dallas Wilson caught two touchdown passes in his UF debut on Saturday. (Photo: Morgan Hurd/UAA Communications)
Dallas (Wilson) Took Over Texas In Gators Debut
Sunday, October 5, 2025 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In his young life, 19-year-old Dallas Wilson has proven he does little under the radar.
He was a skyscraper on a farm at Tampa Bay Tech, where he toyed with defensive backs and wooed a long line of college recruiters to campus as a five-star recruit and No. 39 player in the country according to the ESPN 300 rankings.
He remained in the headlines on the recruiting trail, making in-state visits to Florida, Miami, Florida State and UCF. He committed to Oregon in January 2023, and when Wilson signed with the Ducks in December 2024, it appeared one of the Sunshine State's top prospects had flown the coup.
Of course, that was far from the end of Wilson's origin story.
Seeking to be closer to home and his ailing grandmother, Wilson requested a release from the Ducks, which was granted, and signed with the Gators a few weeks later. Still, Wilson's long road to the UF campus was delayed due to academic requirements. After two weeks of uncertainty, Wilson officially enrolled in late January.
"I just let God handle that,'' Wilson said Saturday night. "It was really just great being out there and playing with my team."
And play he did.
In one of the most memorable introductions in program history, Wilson starred in Florida's 29-21 upset of No. 9-ranked Texas on Saturday by catching six passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson's collegiate debut was delayed after he missed the first four games of the season due to a foot injury suffered in preseason camp.
Dallas Wilson hauls in what turned into a 55-yard touchdown catch to the chagrin of Texas' sideline on Saturday. (Photo: Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)
The anticipation for Wilson's return swelled following Florida's abysmal offensive performance at Miami (141 total yards, 61 passing). Could the 6-foot-3, 213-pound receiver be the game-changer the Gators and quarterback DJ Lagway needed to turn around a 1-3 start?
Sophomore linebacker Myles Graham hinted at such a few days before Wilson raced from the tunnel carrying a Gators banner on Saturday.
"Man, he's a playmaker," Graham said. "He's the real deal. If you put it up in the air, I like him to go get it. I would put my money on him."
The sold-out crowd at The Swamp had to wait only one play for Wilson to announce his official arrival. On the first play of the game, Lagway hit Wilson for a 9-yard gain. However, Texas freshman cornerback Graceson Littleton, another Tampa prep standout who played at Wiregrass Ranch High, forced a fumble. The loose ball took a bounce and landed right in front of Wilson, who was sprawled on the ground.
On the first snap of Wilson's career, he caught his first pass, fumbled for the first time, and made his first fumble recovery.
That was only an appetizer.
Wilson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Lagway in the second quarter that gave the Gators a 17-7 lead.
"He's a specimen," Lagway said. "He's a great player to have on the field. I told him every time you play, expect the ball — it's coming your way."
Wilson's highlight moment happened when he caught a 55-yard touchdown from Lagway that put the Gators in front, 29-14, and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Wilson caught the ball at the Texas 37-yard line, stayed in bounds, and bulldozed two Texas defenders on his way toward the end zone.
"That was a crazy play," Wilson said. "I won off the line with the corner. Corner had fell, Lag threw the ball up to me, caught it, and after that I just let my talent take over."
On one play, Wilson showed off his hands, his feet, and his physical style of play, running over Longhorns All-American safety Michael Taaffe at the goal line.
"It was just boom from there," Wilson said.
Wilson became the first UF freshman receiver to have a 100-yard game since Tyrie Cleveland in 2016 at LSU. He became the first true freshman receiver in program history to have a 100-yard game in his debut, and the first to catch a touchdown.
Unlike Texas quarterback Arch Manning, a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate, Wilson proved worthy of all the hype in an age of hyperbole.
"He's a big, physical player,'' UF head coach Billy Napier said. "He's got unique play strength. Just a total creature from a testing perspective, and then he has a competitive spirit that's second to none. He turns it up. I'm going to tell you, his energy, I think, was a spark this week.
"In practice, he was just doing what he did out there today and really elevated the energy. He's fun to be around. He's got a sense of humor, and he's a great competitor on game day, and that's his first game in a uniform here."
Based on what Wilson did Saturday, Florida fans can't wait to see what he does for an encore. The Gators travel to Texas A&M this week for another critical SEC matchup against the Aggies.
Wilson brought the cliché "man among boys" to life against the Longhorns. Texas couldn't stop him. When the Gators needed a big play, Wilson delivered.
The journey has not been easy. Wilson lost his mother when he was young. His grandmother raised him. He helped raise his younger siblings.
On Saturday, healthy and finally able to play, Wilson turned dreams into reality.
He always believed, in part, due to his late mother.
"I really don't know how I'm supposed to feel," he said. "I had a rough start [here]. I'd say [my confidence comes] from my mother. My mom had passed, her name is Lisa, but I would say my mother.
"She was very confident. She believed she could do anything in the world, and I guess that just carried on to me."
More than 90,000 fans and a team thirsty for a victory on Saturday can verify that.
