Tag: SEC availability report

ESPN says Texas A&M QB a ‘game-time decision’ vs Florida

The SEC has been talking about Florida’s quarterback situation all week long, but it’s Texas A&M that has a problem under center heading into gameday.

All week long, the focus has been on which quarterback Florida will play more against Texas A&M, but now it’s the Aggies that have a decision to make under center.

After submitting a relatively clean SEC Availability Report on Wednesday, Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman was added to the list on Thursday. Pete Thamel of ESPN is reporting that Weigman is a “legitimate game-time decision,” according to a source.

Weigman is dealing with an unspecified upper-body injury and will need to be evaluated during pregame warmups in Gainesville. SEC teams must submit a final injury report 90 minutes ahead of game time, per the new conference rules.

If Weigman is too hurt to play, redshirt freshman Marcel Reed will make his first career start, similar to the position [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] was in last week. The difference here is that Florida has an SEC defense, compared the FCS defense Lagway faced.

Reed got on the field last week as Weigman’s backup during a 52-10 blowout against McNeese. He threw for 71 yards and ran for another 43, so Florida must prepare to face a dual threat even if Weigman ends up playing.

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Florida upgrades pair of DBs on Week 3 SEC Availability Report

Florida was bitten by the injury bug early this season, but two Gators have been upgraded to available ahead of a Week 3 clash with Texas A&M.

The initial SEC Availability Report released by Florida on Wednesday painted a grim picture for the team’s secondary. Multiple starters were listed as either “out” or “questionable,” but a Thursday update has provided some hope that the Gators will have more depth on Saturday than initially expected.

Sophomore defensive backs [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] are no longer listed on the availability report, signaling a likely return against Texas A&M.

Denson started at the STAR position in Week 1 against Miami and performed reasonably well at the hybrid position. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 63. 9 on defense, including a 74.0 grade as a run defender.

Redshirt freshman Aaron Gates stepped in for Denson at the STAR against Samford, but the team is better with both guys available. A position battle between the two during fall camp has led to both getting reps when healthy. If either goes down again, the team will lean heavily on the healthy one and use Alfonzo Allen Jr. sparingly as a backup.

Thornton will see the field for the first time in 2024 on Saturday after missing each of the first two games of the season. With fellow safety Asa Turner listed as “out,” Florida needs some depth on its last line of defense.

As a true freshman, Thronton played regularly in Florida’s secondary, starting four games and accumulating more than 300 snaps on defense. His 58.8 defensive grade on PFF is solid for a first-year player at the college level, but he’s expected to step up more in his second season.

Texas A&M adds names to availability report

The Aggies only listed three players on their initial availability report, but the number has since doubled.

Most notably, starting quarterback Conner Weigman is now listed as questionable, but Texas A&M has secondary troubles of its own, too. Starting nickelback Tyreek Chappell and starting strong safety Trey Jones III are both out this week.

That means former Florida Gators Jaydon Hill is likely to start at nickelback for TAMU.

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Breaking down Florida’s student-athlete availability report vs. Texas A&M

Florida is dealing with several injuries heading into a Week 3 matchup with Texas A&M. Here’s what the SEC availability report says.

Florida has released its first student-athlete availability report ahead of a Week 3 matchup with Texas A&M Aggies.

The availability report is being introduced this season in an effort to promote the integrity of competition, the well-being of student-athletes and institutional staff and public transparency.

“Beginning with the 2024-25 athletics season, all Southeastern Conference schools will provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes to participate in each Conference game in the sports of football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball,” the SEC policy reads.

Football programs must report an initial disclosure on Wednesday by 7 p.m., or three nights before a non-Saturday game, and update those reports on both Thursday and Friday. An official designation of available, game-time decision or out must be provided no later than 90 minutes before game time.

Here’s what Florida reported on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/DavidRosenbergg/status/1834027166561882613?/

Florida players on SEC availability report

The good news is that quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] is out of the concussion protocol and healthy again. The bad news is that 10 other players have already been ruled out for Saturday’s contest. Another six Gators are questionable

Offense

Florida’s wide receiver corps will be missing Ja’Quavion Fraziars, Brian Green Jr. and Kahleil Jackson this week. Neither Fraziars nor Green have played a snap this year, and Jackson is out for the season after knee surgery.

Andy Jean has also missed the first two games, but there is some hope for him to play with a “questionable” designation.

The big one here is [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], Florida’s leading receiver on the year. Losing Wilson would be a big blow to UF’s offense, so this is one to monitor closely.

Tight ends Caleb Rillos and Keon Zipperer are both expected to sit on Saturday. Zipperer is still returning from a gruesome lower-body injury suffered a year ago. Rillos’ issue is unknown.

Defense

Florida’s defensive backs situation is grim heading into Week 3.

Starting strong safety [autotag]Asa Turner[/autotag] suffered a non-contact injury to his lower body against Miami. He’ll sit for a second straight week.

Cornerback [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] is listed as questionable after suffering an AC joint injury in Week 1 and missing a game, and his backup, Ja’Keem Jackson, got hurt the following week and is out against Texas A&M.

At least the team’s top corner, Jason Marshall Jr., is healthy. Getting Moore back this week would be huge with Jackson missing.

[autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], Flroida’s starting nickelback in Week 1, is also questionable after missing the Samford game. Safety Bryce Thornton is in the same boat.

Ahman Covington and Brayden Slade are out as well. Although they aren’t regulars in the defensive backs rotation, Florida could use as much depth as possible.

The only member of Florida’s front seven on the availability report is Jamari Lyons, who broke his ankle during fall camp. Lyons will miss the entire season.

Texas A&M players on SEC availability report

Texas A&M’s availability report lists just three players, but one of them is former Florida linebacker [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag]. He’s questionable while former five-star running back Reuben Owens and offensive lineman Mark Nabou Jr. will miss the game.

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