News broke earlier in the week about quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag]’s thumb injury, and now Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has now given a timeline for his return.
“Jack had a thumb avulsion fracture, which is really the same surgery that Drew Brees had a couple of years ago,” Napier said on Sunday following the team’s second fall scrimmage. “So, we anticipate him missing, I’m going to say the first two games. We’re hopeful that we’ll get him back Week 3. He’ll be in a cast for a couple of weeks as things start to grow back together and we’ll start the rehab process.”
That’s not great news for the Gators considering the depth behind Miller and starter [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]. Redshirt freshman [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] are the next names up on the unofficial depth chart, but Napier says walk-on Kyle Engel has shown enough to warrant consideration.
“I think we’re very much in a competition there for the backup spot,” he said. I think we’ve seen Kitna do some good things, we’ve seen Engel do some good things. Max is a little bit behind mentally being a rookie.”
It sounds like Brown is still going through the growing pains that most deal with when transitioning from high school to college, but that leaves Florida very little to work with through the first two weeks of the season. Richardson has dealt with his share of injuries in the past, which means Florida needs a solid backup.
Miller’s return can’t come soon enough, and opposing defenses can count on Richardson being conservative in the early goings given UF’s current roster deficiencies.
[mm-video type=video id=01gaw8vrwe4pm8zqczta playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gaw8vrwe4pm8zqczta/01gaw8vrwe4pm8zqczta-86e38e9011dd971b3810803d1b45f82b.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=89752,89741,89732,89726]
[listicle id=89575]
[listicle id=89316]
[listicle id=89586]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!