Florida Gators OL Yousef Mugharbil Makes Miraculous Return to Practice

Photo: Yousef Mugharbil; Credit: University of Florida athletic association

Less than four months removed from what could have been a tragic automobile accident, Florida Gators freshman offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil returned to team practice as UF prepares for its appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl against UCF.

In late August, Mugharbil, who was driving a scooter, collided with a semi-truck in Gainesville that left him in stable condition, although he did suffer injuries from the event that sidelined him for the Gators' entire regular season.

However, interim offensive line coach Mike Sollenne shared on Twitter this past weekend that Mugharbil made his return to practice and participated in pads on Friday and Saturday.

After what he’s been through seeing @yousefmugharbi1 in pads the last two days has been one of the greatest things I’ve seen. Proud of you, the best is ahead of you ‼️
— Mike Sollenne (@CoachSollenne) December 11, 2021

“The scooter keeps going straight, apparently, and he was in a non-traversable lane,” Gainesville Police Department spokesman Graham Glover described the accident on August 31. “The scooter did not yield to the [truck] turning right. [The scooter] kept going straight, the truck turned right, and [the scooter] hit the truck. The scooter driver was dragged a while, got some serious road-rash, and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”

It is unclear if Mugharbil is in well enough of a condition to begin playing, and given his true freshman status, he is not expected to receive snaps against the Knights on Dec. 23 in Florida's final game of the 2021 season.

That being said, his quick return to practice after such a serious accident is miraculous, and it suggests that Mugharbil will one day take the field for the Gators rather than needing to step away from the game.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.