Kyle Pitts is giving the Falcons exactly the kind of production they’ve been waiting on, and the former Florida standout is climbing the NFL tight end leaderboard while doing it.
Through this season, Pitts has four touchdowns, which ties him for second among tight ends in the league. His latest effort came last week against the San Francisco 49ers, when he played 37 offensive snaps and caught all five of his targets for 22 yards. The biggest grab of the afternoon came midway through the third quarter, when he hauled in a five-yard touchdown to put Atlanta ahead of the then-undefeated 49ers.
That score extended a strong run for Pitts. He has now found the end zone in three straight weeks, a stretch that’s starting to make his season look a lot more like the version Florida fans remember. Overall, Pitts has 20 catches for 191 yards and four touchdowns this year.
At Florida, the numbers were far more explosive. Pitts played in 32 games for the Gators and totaled 100 receptions for 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was a First-Team All-American and turned in a monster 2020 season, when he caught 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His time in Gainesville overlapped with a run of big moments for the program, including Florida’s Peach Bowl win over Michigan in 2018, the Orange Bowl victory against Virginia in 2019 and the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma in 2020.
The Falcons took Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. Entering this season, he had 284 career receptions for 3,579 yards and 15 touchdowns. His Falcons tenure has had its ups and downs, but there’s hope he can settle into a steadier rhythm with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback.
Atlanta is 3-4 and meets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.
Back in Gainesville, Florida has its own major matchup coming up against Georgia. The Gators are ranked for the first time in six years heading into the showdown, with No.
17 Florida at 5-2, 4-1 and No. 3 Georgia at 6-1, 4-1.
Both teams remain in the College Football Playoff conversation. Florida’s recent surge has been fueled by a comeback win over Texas, where the Gators erased a 14-point deficit to beat the Longhorns and climb back into the rankings after dropping out following back-to-back losses to Missouri and South Carolina.
The rivalry game will be played Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the first time Florida and Georgia have met in the South’s largest metropolitan area.
Pitts may not be there in person, since the Falcons play the next day in Tampa Bay, but he’ll almost certainly be watching.
In Other News...
Florida Could Make Georgia Sweat In Rivalry Game For One Reason
Floridas spot on the Georgia scouting report got a little more interesting in Week 9, and not just because the rivalry always brings its own edge. With several ranked teams facing potential trouble and the first College Football Playoff rankings approaching, the Gators are part of a bigger Saturday picture that could reshape the standings if the favorites stumble.
The uncertainty around Floridas quarterback situation is the wrinkle worth watching against Georgia, especially in a game where a backup can sometimes change the tone faster than anyone expects. Georgia still has the better resume and the deeper roster, but this is the kind of rivalry setting where a little doubt at the most important position can make a heavy favorite sweat longer than planned. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Best Shot Vs Georgia Starts With One Pressure Point
Floridas path into Saturdays showdown with No. 3 Georgia starts where the Gators have built their most reliable edge: on the ground. Jadan Baugh has become the centerpiece of an offense that needs balance, and against a Georgia defense that is usually at its best against the run, Florida will be trying to turn early-down success into a cleaner, more manageable game. The matchup matters because the Gators have not always been able to create that kind of control, but this one offers a clearer opening than most.
Georgia, for its part, still brings the kind of defensive front that can squeeze out mistakes and force an offense to earn every yard. But the Bulldogs have shown some recent vulnerability against the run, which gives Florida a real pressure point to test before the game becomes a track meet or a third-down grind. If the Gators can make Baugh and the rushing attack matter, it changes the shape of the afternoon. If not, Georgias strengths have a way of taking over quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Fans Are Learning Fast What Aaron Philo Really Brings
Aaron Philo arrived at Florida with the kind of rsum that made him worth watching right away, even if he came in as a former backup from Georgia Tech. The junior quarterback was handed the starting job after transferring, and the early returns have already given Gators fans a clearer sense of what he can offer: a leader with experience, poise and the mobility to stress defenses in more than one way.
Now the conversation has shifted to availability, which is always the hard part for a quarterback trying to settle in with a new team. Philo is working through a shoulder injury he picked up against South Carolina and sat out the next game against Texas, leaving Florida to wait and wonder how quickly he can get back to showing the full package that made him such an intriguing addition in the first place. [Read more 🡒]