Florida will be without a handful of key players in its season opener against Long Island University.
Starting defensive lineman Caleb Banks and starting linebacker Grayson Howard are significant losses for the defense. Freshman receiver Dallas Wilson will have to wait to make his highly anticipated debut, and Aidan Mizell is also missing from the receiving corps this week.
Cornerback Jamrock Grimsley and edge rusher LJ McCray were also spotted out of uniform ahead of Saturday’s season opener against. Both should see a significant snap increase this year, but they’ll have to start that count against South Florida at the earliest.
Wilson was the biggest known question mark coming into the game. He was spotted doing the Gator Walk alongside a scooter and air cast, signaling he’s not fully recovered. Banks was out of his boot, which is a good sign. The rest were seen out of uniform as their position groups practiced ahead of the season opener.
Mizell is the only surprise addition to this list, although there was some hope a few would be healthy enough to play. An FCS game at the start of the season is as good a game to miss as any, but it leaves little room for these players to find their footing on the field before the SEC schedule starts in a few weeks.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators without several key players in season opener vs. LIU
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
