We tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Gainesville football team in this preview. We take a look at roster changes and what fans can expect from the team this season.
2021 Stats
- Overall Record: 5-5
- Points Scored: 220
- Points Against: 213
Key Losses
The Red Elephants will lose some top talent, but the good news for those players is that they’re not finished playing football just yet. Gainesville graduates who will play collegiately include defensive back Chamarion Bush, who is headed to the Bluegrass state to play for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Former Red Elephant OT Elijah Ruiz will use his 6-foot-4, 281-pound frame to block for Tennessee Tech, where he’ll be joined by DL/LS Khaliq Maddox, a First Team All-Region performer last season.
Defensive lineman Jean Richmond signed with Concordia, standout WR/DB DJ Miller is headed off to Mars Hill College, and kicker/punter Giovanni Martinez is taking his talents to Point University after a successful high school career at Gainesville.
Who’s Back
The Red Elephants football program has been busy this offseason. New head coach Josh Niblett was hired this offseason, and he brings a lot of new faces with him, both on his staff and a few new players as well. They join forces with some key returnees from last season’s squad, including four-year starting RB Naim Cheeks, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season; and standout corners Elias Ballard and Dre Ravan, who will also play WR again this season.
Another two-way returning starter is OL/DL Stacy Hopkins, and back at quarterback is junior Baxter Wright, who has looked solid in spring and summer workouts. New faces who have joined the Red Elephants include standout linebacker Jeremiah Telander, who has committed to the University of Tennessee, linebacker Luke Cooper and offensive lineman Ethan Couch.
The Red Elephants have two exciting athletes to return kicks, catch passes, cover receivers, and run the football, too. They are Darius Cannon, whose primary position is WR and KR, and speedy ATH Tre Reece, who is also a standout track performer in the 4x100M. Other players to watch for this season are tight ends Sky Niblett and Callum Fraser, linebacker Carmelo Byrd, WR/LB Samaj Brown, WR/DB Zander Lipscomb, and junior kicker/punter John White, who could take over for Martinez.
What To Expect
Make no mistake: Expectations are sky high for Gainesville and Niblett this season. The program has hovered around the .500 mark over the last three years, and fans and administration are ready for the Red Elephant program to begin competing for region and state titles.
Gainesville is poised to do just that with perhaps the finest facilities in the state, a championship-caliber coach in Niblett, and a roster that is one of the most talented in Class 6A, if not the entire state. The Red Elephants’ move down to 6A places them in a region whose teams averaged fewer than five wins last season – another reason to believe that more wins are on the horizon for Gainesville.
Prediction
Look out for this herd of Elephants – they’re seeing Red in 2022. A 10-win season is very possible in Niblett’s first season.
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