Gainesville, Fla. - Florida Gators wide receiver Andre Debose (4) returns the opening kick off for a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2010. (Photo by Matt Stamey/Staff Photographer)
1) The 6-0, 195-pound receiver was born in Sanford, Florida, where he played high school ball and was a track state champion for the Sanford Seminoles. He spent time at wide receiver, quarterback and running back, amassing over 2,000 total yards during his time at Sanford. Debose closed out his senior year with what is referred to as “The Catch” by Sanford locals. With seconds remaining in the 6A state championship game against Teddy Bridgewater and Miami-Northwestern High School, Debose hauled in a contested, diving catch in the end zone to clinch a 28-21 win for the Seminoles.
Watch ‘The Catch’ by clicking this photo.
2) Debose was a highly sought-after five-star recruit out of Sanford, ranked as the number three overall receiver in the 2010 recruiting class (Scout.com). He received offers from Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and USC before choosing to attend Florida under head coach Urban Meyer.
3) Despite missing two seasons (2009, 2013) with injury and playing under four offensive coordinators and six position coaches at Florida, Debose racked up 592 yards from scrimmage on 37 offensive touches while establishing himself as one of the most prolific special teams players in school history.
Following up a freshman season that saw him earn an All-SEC Freshman team selection, Debose led the Gators in receiving yards (432) and receiving touchdowns (4) before earning Gator Bowl MVP honours in a win over Ohio State. The following year, he recorded a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the Sugar Bowl, the longest in the game’s history. After missing the 2013 campaign with an ACL injury, Debose returned in 2014 to earn the Gators Special Teams MVP award and the Chris Patrick Courage Award. He finished his career with over 2,000 kickoff return yards (11th in SEC history) and four return touchdowns, setting a new team record and tying the SEC all-time mark.
4) After being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round (221st overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, Debose crossed paths with both Devon Wylie and Cody Fajardo at Raiders training camp. Following his release by the Raiders on June 3, 2016, he attended training camp with the Indianapolis Colts.
5) Debose might register as one of the fastest players currently on the Argos roster. At his 2015 Pro Day at Florida, he recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds.