Injuries dominated Florida’s win against Missouri on Saturday, but the Gators received some good news on Monday.
Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray (ankle), kick returner Andre Debose (knee) and left tackle Xavier Nixon (knee) are probable after not dressing against the Tigers.
Safety Matt Elam (groin), guard Jon Halapio (ankle), guard James Wilson (knee) and kicker Caleb Sturgis (ankle) are also probable after leaving during Saturday’s game.
Running back Mack Brown is questionable after injuring his ankle against Missouri.
Coach Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease are looking forward to Sturgis’ return after Florida missed two field goals on Saturday.
“When you’re third-and-10 on the 40-yard line, I’m telling Brent, ‘Just get us 5 yards here. We need some points,’ as opposed to trying to get the first down,” Muschamp said. “You know if you get to the 35, you’re kicking a field goal. It changes the game dramatically for us, because of [Sturgis].”
Sturgis, who was dealing with swelling on his kicking ankle, had a 47-yard attempt blocked against the Tigers. Brad Phillips missed a 24-yard field goal attempt with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter that would have given the Gators a 17-7 lead.
Mann will transfer: Freshman Jafar Mann is no longer a Gator. He decided to transfer, Muschamp announced on Monday.
“[Mann] and I agreed that it’s time for him to move on,” Muschamp said.
Mann, a three-star defensive tackle prospect, was a member of Florida’s 2012 recruiting haul, which ranked third nationally according to Rivals.com.
The No. 48 defensive tackle prospect in the 2012 class switched to guard in August. Mann played both guard and defensive tackle at Stone Mountain, Ga., Stephenson High.
“We started him off at defensive tackle,” Quinn said on Aug. 29. “Then we wanted to put him over at offensive line for a couple weeks and get the evaluation there. That’s kind of where we’re at with him. We took our time looking at him on defense. We’re going to do the same thing on offense.”
Brissett sticking around: When asked on Monday to describe Jacoby Brissett’s future, Muschamp said, “He’ll be a Florida Gator.”
Brissett, who lost the starting quarterback battle to Jeff Driskel in August, has played in just three games this season and has not thrown a pass since completing 3 of 5 attempts in Florida’s 27-14 season-opening win against Bowling Green on Sept. 1.
Muschamp has been pleased with Brissett’s attitude and commitment to the backup role.
“He’s approached it knowing he’s a snap away [from] walking on the field and having to win for us,” Muschamp said.
War Eagle: If Georgia loses to Auburn on the road this weekend, Florida will win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. Either UF or UGA will face No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 1 in Atlanta.
Despite the stakes of Georgia’s final SEC game, Florida will not pay much attention to what happens on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“We’re definitely going to watch the game when we get done, just like we did last week,” Driskel said. “But you’ve got to worry about what you can do and kind of stay focused on what we can control.”
Cornerback Jaylen Watkins added: “I wouldn’t say we are fans of any other SEC school, but it would be nice to see [Auburn] get a win.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
