Florida has a whopping 16 players listed on its initial SEC Availability Report ahead of a Week 8 matchup against Kentucky.
Ten of those players are already out for Saturday’s contest, three of which are done for the year. The most recent addition to that list is starting quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], who tore his ACL against Tennessee.
Defensive lineman Jamari Lyons and wide receiver Kahleil Jackson are also out with season-ending injuries. Linebacker R.J. Moten is also a new addition to the injury list for Florida after suffering an injury last weekend.
Wide receivers TJ Abrams and Marcus Burke, running back KD Daniels, tight end Tony Livingston, offensive lineman Devon Manuel and defensive back [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] are the other Gators ruled out this week.
Gators who could play this week
Starting running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and sophomore [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] are both questionable. Webb hasn’t played the past two games but could be back on the field this week.
Johnson missed the second half of the Tennessee game after going down with an injury, but Billy Napier said that it’s a relatively minor issue. Getting both back this week would be big against a Kentucky defense that’s better against the pass than the run.
Offensive lineman [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Asa Turner[/autotag] are both questionable for a second straight week. Barber played last week, but Turner sat recovering from a non-contact injury suffered in Week 1.
Florida has figured out how to play defense without Turner, but there’s no doubt he makes the team better. Barber is one of the stalwarts on the offensive line, and his backup, Manuel, is listed as out this week. The Gators are in trouble if they are without their starting left tackle.
Safety Bryce Thornton is also questionable for the second week in a row. He played 27 snaps last week in a backup role.
Rounding out the list of questionable players is long snapper Rocco Underwood. Florida has one of the best special teams units in the country, and a change at long snapper can change that in a hurry. Jeremy Crawshaw is still an elite punter, but getting a bad snap or two could affect him.
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