Gators WR Eric Singleton Jr. Ruled Out for Florida's Game vs. Auburn

Editor's note - This story has been updated to reflect Eric Singleton Jr. being ruled out for Florida's game against Auburn.

AUBURN, Ala. — Less than an hour before its SEC opener against Auburn, Florida Gators wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. has been ruled out for the contest, according to WRUF's Kevin Winter. He was initially listed as a game-time decision.

Defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo remains a game-time decision.

The pair of transfers, who both missed last week's win over Campbell with similar ankle injuries, participated in warmups ahead of Saturday's game. The designation on the official availability report confirms previous reports about the duo.

"Is there a shot? Yes. Am I ready to say they're going to play? No, because I can't promise you that," head coach Jon Sumrall said on Monday. "But I'm not going to rush either one of them back and them not be right because it's a long season. Do we want them both to be back? Yeah. But at the same time, we got to be smart tough, not dumb tough.

"And if they're not available, if they're not ready to play the right way for themselves, it's going to hurt the team. And then also, what I don't want to do is put them back in the fray and do something that sets them back further."

Singleton Jr., who makes his return to Auburn after transferring from the Tigers to Florida this offseason, suffered an ankle injury on the Gators' first offensive drive on the season. He was rolled up while lead-blocking on Vernell Brown III's touchdown against FAU. By exiting the game, his FBS-leading streak of 37 consecutive games with a catch ended.

"There's probably not anybody as sick as I was in the stadium when he went down, just saw the way it happened," offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said last week. "All the hard work the kid put in. He's had a great camp, unbelievable spring. And I know he was really, really looking forward to getting back out here and playing."

With Singleton Jr. set to miss Saturday's game, Florida will heavily rely on Bailey Stockton, while TJ Abrams, Micah Mays and Kahleil Jackson will be in the rotation.

Meanwhile, Oyebadejo also missed last week's game with a similar ankle injury. He has two tackles, a pass deflection and two quarterback hurries. Should he miss the game, Florida will likely continue to rely on duo Kamran James and LJ McCray at the end position.

Another update of note on Florida's availability is kicker Patrick Durkin's removal from the report. Durkin was listed as probable on Friday's availability report.

Kickoff between Florida and Auburn on the Plains is at 7 p.m. ET. Television coverage is on ESPN.

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