The private event will be streamed live on the Florida football YouTube page
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida will host the John Mackey Award Ceremony for 2020 recipient Kyle Pitts on Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET inside Touchdown Terrace at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Mackey Award Chairman Jerry Mackey will be in attendance to present the award to Pitts during the private event that will feature several speakers, including Mackey, Pitts and Gators’ tight ends coach Tim Brewster.
Former UF tight end Tate Casey will emcee the ceremony.
Thursday night’s ceremony is not open to the general public or media, but will be streamed live on the Florida football YouTube page. You can find the stream here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DtEWWQ7D4nu0&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=P3yJw3_lY5pUvetVSC4oFyfqoj2EH_VJbvIkFa0r88Y&s=QzfhT1gpoF_tASx1Tc97IUhS6dHs2F8PrzcKJFy85a0&e= >.
A first-round prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft, Pitts became the second tight end in school history to win the Mackey Award.
Pitts became the first unanimous first-team All-American since Vernon Hargreaves III in 2015. Both Pitts and Hargreaves were named AFCA, AP, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp First Team All-Americans.
His dominant performance last season also landed him a spot as a Biletnikoff Award finalist, which is presented annually to college football’s best pass catcher.
Pitts was the first tight end ever to be named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, the first Gator to be named a finalist since Jabar Gaffney in 2001 and the fifth Gator overall to be named a finalist joining Gaffney (2001), Jacquez Green (1997), Reidel Anthony (1996) and Jack Jackson (1994).
The Philadelphia native quickly became the best tight end and one of the top pass catchers in the country last year with 43 receptions, 770 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Pitts’ 12 receiving touchdowns in 2020 were the second-highest total by a tight end in Southeastern Conference history. Vanderbilt’s Allama Matthews (14 in 1982) holds the SEC record. His 770 yards this year ties Kirk Kirkpatrick (1990) for second on Florida’s single-season record list for receiving yards by a tight end.
Pitts is the first tight end in Gators history and the eighth FBS tight end in the last five years (including 2020) with three games of 100-plus receiving yards in the same season.
