Florida has operated the first two weeks of the 2022 college football season without backup quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag]. Head coach Billy Napier announced in August that Miller had a procedure done on his thumb to repair an avulsion fracture, and he provided a bit of an update during Monday’s press conference to open Week 3.
“Yeah, Jack is making progress,” Napier said. “He’s not quite ready for action, but he is in the process — getting closer. He’s kind of moved into the next stage there of return to play.”
In August, Napier said that the team was hopeful they would get Miller back by Week 3. That timeline might be delayed a week or two, but Napier’s update doesn’t indicate any major setback. His willingness to speak on Miller’s return timeline is telling, especially considering he brushed off the back half of the question regarding [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and other injured players on the team.
In Miller’s absence, the Gators have redshirt freshman [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] listed as the backup to starter [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]. Kitna hasn’t seen any action so far this season and isn’t likely to unless Richardson is unable to go. Napier made that clear when he stuck with Richardson through Saturday’s disappointing loss to Kentucky.
Had Miller been healthy, it’s not too hard to imagine him coming in for a series to give Richardson a moment to calm down. Miller isn’t going to take over the starting role once he’s back, but he’ll provide a much stronger safety net for Richardson and Co.
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