Ricky Pearsall tapped into Mom’s toughness and Dad’s dependable hands to become Florida’s go-to receiver and a top playmaking threat.
The speedy Gators’ wideout certainly caught Erin Pearsall flat-footed when he arrived in the early morning hours Sept. 9, 2000. After Pearsall’s water unexpectedly broke at the family’s Arizona home, Erin was left to give birth to Ricky — her second of four children — on the master bathroom floor.
Luckily, Ricky Pearsall Sr., a sure-handed receiver himself in the 1990s at Northern Arizona, arrived in the nick of time following a 24-hour shift at the Phoenix Fire Department to deliver the couple’s only son.
“It’s been a strong connection from Day 1,” Erin told the Orlando Sentinel. “Let me tell you: he’s always been full of surprises. But good ones.
“Blessings, I will say.”
The Gators now feel blessed to have Pearsall in the fold.
The tone-setter
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior’s relentless work ethic, sharp route running and versatility set the bar for a young, talented receiving corps with much to prove as UF approaches Thursday night’s season opener at No. 14 Utah.
“He brings a lot to the team more than his athletic ability, just his attitude on the field,” promising sophomore Caleb Douglas said. “I’ll say when I am feeling kind of tired and I see Ricky, and then I’m like, ‘You know, you right: I’m finna lock in, finna go get it.’”
Pearsall’s single-mindedness allowed him to make significant offseason strides. He dropped his body fat from 11% to 8%, added 4 pounds of lean muscle and improved his speed.
A 2-touchdown, 148-yard night Nov. 25 at Florida State showcased Pearsall’s potential to close a 2022 regular season spent managing a foot injury suffered during the first week of fall camp.
“I had to do what I had to do,” he told the Sentinel. “It definitely hindered me , but I feel like I can play with any kind of conditions. I made the most out of it. I’m like, ‘OK, I gotta play with what I’m working with.’”
He still led UF with 661 yards and 5 scores receiving. Now firing on all cylinders, Pearsall is poised for the breakout season the Gators will need in order to make strides during Year 2 under Billy Napier.
“He’s primed for a great year,” said Napier, a former receivers coach at Clemson and Alabama. ”Ricky’s very underrated. Bigger than you think, faster and more explosive than you think. And he’s highly skilled.
“The guy can get open and he makes plays on the ball.”
Mama’s boy
Pearsall expects to have better timing with Wisconsin transfer quarterback Graham Mertz than the day he officially entered the world.
Superior chemistry might be another matter. The perilous experience more than 22 years ago produced an inseparable bond between mother and son that blossomed despite difficult times, including a divorce when Ricky was 9 leading the family of live in a 1,000-square foot home.
“There’s a period of time where … my mom and I actually shared the same room,” Pearsall said. “That moment bonded us really close together. Then obviously, my mom’s a tremendous woman.
“I’m just really blessed to have a woman like her in my life.”
Pearsall, a self-admitted “mama’s boy,” would eventually cut the cord during the spring of 2022, head more than 2,000 miles cross country and pursue his NFL dreams in Florida and the SEC after three seasons at hometown Arizona State.
The decision made football sense but also was a bittersweet moment.
“I feel like Ricky made a decision to stay at ASU partly because he didn’t want to leave me,” Erin said. “Ricky has taken on a caretaker role in my family as far as him feeling like he has to take care of the girls and myself. He grew up with a bunch of women and felt that responsibility.
“I’m sure it has weighed heavily on him and that’s apparent in his actions.”
Eye on the prize
As a star athlete at Tempe’s Corona del Sol, Pearsall worked on his craft rather than carousing with friends.
Ricky Pearsall Sr. placed a football in his son’s hands as a 2-year-old and rewarded him with a Skittle each time he caught the ball. Over the years father taught son the position’s fine points honed during a career from 1993-96 at Northern Arizona University.
A native of Flagstaff, the elder Pearsall recorded 124 catches for 1,802 yards for his hometown school. He also met Erin, a volleyball player for the Lumberjacks.
Much of Ricky Pearsall’s drive comes at his father’s behest.
“He’s really high on discipline,” Pearsall said. “Every time I leave a conversation he says, remember, be disciplined.”
Erin Pearsall is no shrinking violet, either.
During her days as a stay-at-home mom, Erin also was a regular gym-goer eventually encouraged to compete in a fitness competition requiring ample training and a strict diet.
“I used to go to my friends house, it was funny because I used to raid their cabinets,” Ricky recalled. “I used to have three sodas a day just because I couldn’t have it back at home. It made me who I am though
“It’s all about that discipline, being able to look at a cookie and go, not today, not today.”
A sensitive soul
Being raised by and around women also engendered a softer side in Pearsall.
Erin recalled she received a phone from her son’s high school gym teacher and assumed Ricky was in trouble. Instead, she received a heart-warming message and window into her son’s sensitive soul.
“He says, when we’re in PE and we’re playing basketball Ricky would always pick the special needs kids to be on his team,” she said. “That’s huge. Ricky didn’t have to win the game. He had to win the game of life.
“It’s the bigger picture; it’s not the moment.”
Pearsall still makes sure to take time for those less fortunate.
During fall camp, Gators’ super fan Mike Bonner visited the Heavener Football Center in his wheelchair. Pearsall made fast friends with the 54-year-old who suffers from cerebral palsy yet still attends Florida football games.
Even as an adult, Pearsall credits Erin for his world view.
“She taught me to stay grounded and be grateful for every moment in time,” he said. “Be good to those around you. Life’s about people in your life. Football is only gonna take you so far. At the end of the day, it’s just a game. I love the game, obviously.
“But there’s always gonna be people around you. You just gotta be good to them.”
By her son’s side
Pearsall’s approach has buoyed a locker room featuring dozens of new players and personalities pushing to come together as a team and produce a memorable season after consecutive losing ones in Gainesville.
On the field, Pearsall challenges teammates at every turn.
“He’s always gonna bring that competitive mindset out of you,” Michigan transfer safety R.J. Moten said. “He’s gonna come and he’s gonna pick at you. It’s out of love, though. He’s just trying to bring the best out of you
“He wants to eat and he wants the whole team to eat.”
While her son and his teammates push to fill up the win column, Erin Pearsall will be there for every Gator Chomp.
Despite the distance, she never misses a game but said he travels solo “98% of the time.” The Gators’ season opener in Salt Lake City, though, will be a chance for other family members to watch Ricky perform, including Erin’s mom, aunt and uncle, along with Ricky’s youngest sister Paige, 19, and a friend.
A week later, Erin will head to Gainesville for UF’s Week 2 visit from McNeese State. The Sept. 9 matchup will take place on Ricky’s 23rd birthday, giving he and his mother another chance to celebrate their unique journey.
“Everybody’s got a story,” Erin said. “But at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. Love and being a part of something and family. It’s just the journey that people go through sometimes that makes them who they are.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
