Gators Rule Out Four vs. Utah; Ricky Pearsall, Jason Marshall Updates
Photo: Ricky Pearsall; Credit: Alex Shepherd
The Florida Gators ruled tight end Arlis Boardingham (upper body), cornerback Jaydon Hill (lower body), quarterback Jack Miller III (upper body - thumb surgery) and offensive tackle David Conner (upper body - thumb surgery) out of Saturday's season-opening bout with the No. 7 Utah Utes on Wednesday, according to UF's Week 1 depth chart.
The mid-week, NFL-style injury report is a new feature on Florida's depth chart, which head coach Billy Napier said will be released every Wednesday moving forward at the time it was unveiled.
The group of inactive players each suffered injuries of various extents throughout Florida's offseason, most taking place in fall camp. Hill continues an extended recovery process from a 2021 knee injury that sidelined him for the entire campaign, and as a result he did not take part in any practices this fall.
Boardingham was seen in a sling near the end of fall camp, tending to a minor shoulder injury, according to Swamp247 which All Gators confirmed. All Gators also reported during camp that Conner was undergoing surgery on his right thumb without a timeline established for his return.
Miller, which Napier confirmed on Aug. 21 that Miller, too, underwent surgery on his right thumb for a thumb avulsion fracture. He's expected to miss at least the first two games of the season.
In more positive injury news, Napier had a similarly enthusiastic outlook on Wednesday for cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and slot wide receiver Ricky Pearsall as a week ago.
The duo continues to incrementally increase their practice workload after missing eight days of fall camp, as Pearsall recovered from two bone bruises in his foot while Marshall nursed a minor hamstring injury, both of which occurred on Aug, 9.
"They're good, they're good. They've been able to participate in the last two days, moving around well," Napier shared. "You know, obviously [they] had pretty significant time out of it, but we've incrementally been working those guys back into practice.
"So, they're both excited about being healthy and being there, being ready to contribute to the team."
Marshall won a starting cornerback job outright according to the Week 1 depth chart, while Pearsall is currently sharing first-team duties with Trent Whittemore in the slot.
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