One of the brighter spots of Florida’s 33-14 loss to Kentucky on Saturday was wide receiver [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag]’ 34-yard reception over a Wildcats defender to set up a Hayden Hansen touchdown.
Unfortunately, Douglas came down awkwardly as he stretched for the end zone and needed to be looked at by trainers. Staff members helped him to the locker room for x-rays, and Douglas missed the rest of the game.
After the loss, head coach Billy Napier said that Douglas would miss a “significant chunk of time,” and he confirmed on Monday an expected timeline of four to six weeks, according to All Gators.
Through five games in 2023, Douglas has served as Florida’s primary X receiver. He’s second on the team in receiving yards and targets, totaling 136 and 15, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus.
Marcus Burke and Andy Jean are most likely to step up behind Ricky Pearsall, Kahleil Jackson and Eugene “Tre” Wilson III in the passing game. Arlis Boardingham could also see more targets if Napier decides to rely on the 12 formation more heavily.
“Andy (Jean)’s role will definitely grow here,” Napier said Monday. “It was good to see him be able to execute and to get some experience. I think that’s going to help his confidence. You can just see it. He got a chance to play in the Charlotte game and experience some success.
“Sometimes a young, talented player, when they experience some success, that kind of fuels the fire, and then they show up to practice a little bit different.”
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