SANTA CLARA, Calif.– Nearly two months after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in an armed robbery attempt, former Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has recorded his first-career catch in the NFL.
Making his debut with the San Francisco 49ers, Pearsall caught a 6-yard pass from Brock Purdy in the second quarter of the team’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. At the time of his catch, the Chiefs led 14-3 with 1:32 left in the first half. His catch came on the 49ers’ nine-play, 84-yard drive to set up a field goal.
Ricky Pearsall’s first career reception 👏
🎥 @49ers pic.twitter.com/RpG9jDTe9W
— SFGATE (@SFGate) October 20, 2024
Pearsall spent the first six weeks of the NFL regular season on the NFI list after the incident, which occurred on Aug. 31. Pearsall did not need surgery.
Pearsall was quick to return to the team’s facility but slowly made his return to the field. After being a long practice-only participant, the former Gator was activated due to an injury to Jauan Jennings and due to his own personal progress.
Purdy recently praised Pearsall after a practice leading up to Sunday’s game.
“When you’ve got a guy like Ricky that can win man-to-man matchups and then also open up some other guys too, that’s always a good thing,” Purdy said on Thursday. “He’s doing a really good job, obviously being back and just bringing the juice, going really fast in and out of his cuts and creating some really good separation.”
In two years with the Gators, Pearsall caught 98 passes for 1,626 yards and nine touchdowns after spending three seasons at Arizona State. He was drafted 31st overall by San Francisco in the 2023 NFL Draft, which continued a streak of Gators drafted in the first round dating back to the 2020 Draft.
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