Napier Discusses Spring Injuries

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators begin its next phase of the offseason on Thursday with its spring camp beginning. As a result, head coach Billy Napier gave an update on a group of injured players, some of whom are still recovering from serious injuries from last season and others who are limited as a result of taking care of issues in the offseason.

Napier did not give specifics into each player's availability for camp, although most, if not all, will be donning a black non-contact jersey for practices. Gators Illustrated will make note of which players are wearing one and in what capacity are they practicing during the open portions of camp.

"A lot of these guys may participate in some form, and then we'll have some that won't be able to participate because of where they're at relative to the surgery and return to play," he said Thursday.

The full list of players Napier named, their injuries and when they occurred can be found below:

* Denotes walk-on

DL Caleb Banks (Foot)
DB Sharif Denson (Foot, postseason)
RB Chad Gasper (ACL, high school injury)*
DB Aaron Gates (ACL, 2024 season-ending)
DB Jameer Grimsley (Knee, 2024)
LB Grayson Howard (Soft-tissue, 2024)
QB DJ Lagway (Shoulder and hamstring, both from 2024)
DB Dijon Johnson (Shoulder, required surgery in the winter)
QB Paul Kessler (Lower-back)*
DL Jamari Lyons (Leg, preseason 2024)
DB Cahron Rackley (Hip)*
DL Stephon Shivers (Lower-back)
DB Bryce Thornton (Ankle)
RB Treyaun Webb (Lower-leg, 2024)
WR Eugene Wilson III (Hip, 2024)

Of the players listed, Gates, Howard, Lyons, Webb and Wilson III all suffered season-ending injuries in 2024 with Lyons missing the entire year, Webb and Wilson III earning redshirts after early-season injuries and Gates and Howard suffering injuries late in the year. Napier did not mention receiver Kahleil Jackson (ACL) in his initial list but added that he's hopeful he will be "back to himself."

Napier specifically gave an update on Wilson III, who will likely be Florida's top option at receiver once fully healthy.

"He'll be able to do almost everything. I think we're managing volume right now and return the play more than anything," Napier said. "So he's full speed, routes on air, 7on7. And then we're just basically compartmentalizing the playbook and trying to manage a guy who was put on the shelf for a while, so we gotta ramp up his activity and be smart there."

Headlining the group, though, is Lagway, who enters his first offseason as the clear-cut starter. The former five-star dealt with a shoulder injury throughout last season and then suffered a hamstring injury in the loss to Georgia, which limited his mobility throughout the back-half of the season.

Napier clarified that Lagway did not need surgery for either injury but explained he'd still be limited as camp begins.

"I think our intentions here are to be very smart," he explained. "I do think he'll be limited to throwing activities, but he'll participate in all practices otherwise. And we've done a lot of homework here relative to the things that he went through as a player. I mean, he was an absolute warrior and a great competitor that showed toughness. And we've consulted with quite a few experts here from a UF Health and from a national perspective, as we do with a lot of our players in terms of second opinions. So I think in general, he'll be able to do quite a bit, but there will be some limitations."

Florida will hold its first official practice of spring camp on Thursday with a 15-minute viewing period for the media. Gators Illustrated will be in attendance for that period, which will begin at approximately 4:50 p.m.

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