Florida’s most proven player, forward [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag], played through a shoulder injury last year that required surgery over the offseason.
Castleton is returning for his fifth year of eligibility in hopes of boosting his draft stock, so starting the season off at full strength is key. He was cleared for action earlier in September but is just now feeling like he’s fully recovered, according to comments made after practice to Gators Online and others.
“I’m 100% now,” Castleton said. “Probably about a week or two ago, I was like really set around just being like 100 percent, and then they’re just taking me through like the progressions of getting back to full go in like the past week. We’ve been doing individual workouts, so I’ve been taking a little bit of banging and going against the pad, and coaches were hitting on me a little bit.”
Castleton also enters the season at the heaviest he’s ever been. At 6-foot-11-inches, Castleton has always had a long and lanky frame that could use some extra muscle for protection. He says he’s at 247 pounds right now after changing his diet and rehabbing intensely.
Tape has also surfaced of Castleton consistently hitting from three-point range. Todd Golden’s offense should allow him to operate as a stretch four more often than Mike White’s did, and Castleton looks healthy and confident from deep.
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