Gators WR Eric Singleton Jr.'s Initial Injury Status Revealed for Auburn Game

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — At risk of missing his second straight game with the Florida Gators, wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr.'s initial availability for Saturday's SEC opener at Auburn has been revealed.

Singleton Jr., who has been dealing with an ankle injury, is expected to be a game-time decision and is expected to dress out for Saturday's game, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Thamel's report comes shortly before the expected release of Florida's first SEC-mandated availability report of the 2026 season. While head coach Jon Sumrall has been open about Florida's injuries during the early portion of his tenure, the Gators are now required to release availability reports with SEC play beginning this week.

Singleton Jr. was listed as questionable on the report, giving him a 50 percent chance to play.

Sources: Florida starting receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (ankle) projects as a game time decision at Auburn on Saturday. He’s expected to dress and try to go, although there’s no certainty he’ll play. He played for Auburn last year. He missed the Campbell game. pic.twitter.com/QOCQPg3PdV
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 16, 2026

Sumrall said on Monday that Singleton Jr., as well as defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo, had shed his boot and had returned to practice with the team. Oyebadejo, who also missed last week's win over Campbell, is expected to be a game-time decision on Saturday, according to Thamel. He was also listed as questionable on the report,

"Both were very, very, very limited today in practice but were there. We'll know through the week," Sumrall said. "I'm not BS-ing you... Is there a shot? Yes. Am I ready to say they're going to play? No, because I can't promise you that. 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. What I don't want to do is put them back in the fray and do something that sets them back further. We'll see as the week goes. I think we'll have a better idea Wednesday, Thursday, but we'll see."

Singleton Jr., Florida's headlining transfer for the 2026 season, was injured on the Gators' first offensive drive of the season after getting rolled up while lead-blocking on Vernell Brown III's 40-yard touchdown off a screen pass from Aaron Philo. He did not return to the eventual 66-21 win over FAU, ending an FBS-leading streak of 37 consecutive games with a catch.

"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."

This week is supposed to mark Singleton Jr.'s return to Auburn, where he played last season after transferring from Georgia Tech. He led the Tigers with 58 receptions for 534 yards and three touchdowns and ultimately declared for the 2026 NFL Draft after Auburn's coaching change from Hugh Freeze to Alex Golesh. However, he remained eligible collegiately after not signing with an agent and ultimately transferred to Florida to reunite with Faulkner, inside receivers coach Trent McKnight and outside receivers coach Marcus Davis, who coached Singleton Jr. at Auburn.

Singleton Jr. detailed during spring camp how he had a "great experience" in his one season on the Plains but that he was not satisfied with how the 2025 season went.

"Most definitely," Singleton Jr. said last April after being asked if he had circled Saturday's game on his calendar. "I've circled every game on the calendar. Every game is a big game for me because this is going to be my last season."

Should Singleton Jr. miss Saturday's game, Florida will likely rely on a combination of Bailey Stockton and TJ Abrams in his place while emphasizing Brown III and Dallas Wilson as key features in the passing game. Brown III caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in the win over FAU, while Wilson caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown last week in the win over Campbell. Other receivers to keep an eye on, depending on the formation, will be Micah Mays Jr. and Kahleil Jackson.

Florida and Auburn will have updated availability reports on both Thursday and Friday at approximately 8:10 p.m. ET. The teams' gameday reports will be released at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET.

Kickoff between the Gators and the Tigers is at 7 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN.

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