A depleted Gators defense took another hit on Monday.
Buck linebacker Ronald Powell will leave Florida to enter May’s NFL Draft, the school announced.
"Ronald has informed me that he has made a decision to declare for the NFL Draft," coach Will Muschamp said in a release. "This hasn’t been an easy decision for him. I talked to him several times over the holidays, but it was important for him to come back and look me in the eye and tell me what he wanted to do and why he wanted to do it.
"It’s one of the great experiences as a coach to watch young players mature."
Powell is the third player to forfeit a year of eligibility in order to enter the draft, joining cornerbacks Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson.
The redshirt junior had a solid comeback season after suffering two ACL injures in 2012, recording 26 tackles — including seven for a loss — and a team-best four sacks.
"It’s been well documented the hardships he has had to overcome," Muschamp said, "and he has always kept a positive attitude."
Powell displayed the speed and physicality that made him the No. 1 recruit in the 2010 class, according to Rivals.com. He was the most highly touted prospect in Rivals’ No. 2 class in the nation — a class headlined by Powell and fellow five-star defenders, Dominique Easley and Sharrif Floyd.
Easley and Powell will join Floyd in the NFL — the latter entered the 2013 draft and was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings. Easley, like Powell, announced he would enter the draft after he suffered an ACL injury in September.
"This hasn’t been an easy decision because this is a tough place to walk away from," Powell said in a release. "I never thought it would be this hard to make this decision."
Gators hire coach:
While the temperatures in Gainesville dropped below freezing, the Gators brought Summers to Gainesville.
Florida filled its last coaching vacancy Monday afternoon, announcing that the team hired former Southern California offensive line coach Mike Summers to the same position.
Summers takes over for Tim Davis, who was fired along with offensive coordinator Brent Pease on Dec. 1.
"I’m excited to have Coach Summers join our staff," Muschamp said in a release. "He has 34 years of experience, has been an offensive coordinator for 15 years and has coached in the SEC.
"He has a diverse background and has experience in the NFL. He will be a great addition to our staff."
Before Summers joined the USC staff, he coached the offensive line at Kentucky under then-head coach and current UF wide receivers coach Joker Phillips. During Summers’ first season, the Wildcats averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
He is the second new hire for Florida who coached with Phillips at Kentucky, along with UF’s new offensive coordinator, Kurt Roper. Summers also coached at Northern Illinois, Oregon State, Oklahoma State and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, among other teams.
Florida’s offensive line struggled throughout the season. The Gators averaged 3.6 yards on the ground, and the line gave up 27 sacks during the season — including four games with four or more sacks surrendered.
Summers is the third coach who will make his UF debut this season, along with Roper and special teams coordinator Coleman Hutzler.
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Ronald Powell recovers after a play against Miami on Sept. 7, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium. Powell announced that he would forego his final year of eligibility. The redshirt junior recorded 26 tackles and four sacks this season.
