There had already been so many. There was the ACL injury during his senior year of high school. There was the season ending injury in 2014. There was the time when a teammate rolled onto his leg against Florida State last year, ending his year.
And then there was Saturday. Jordan Sherit sacked Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond in the fourth quarter but didn’t get up. He laid on the grass as trainers rushed to his side, eventually helping him limp off the field. Soon after, as he was carted to the locker room, he raised his hand to the crowd. They cheered.
After the game, UF coach Jim McElwain looked somber. He said Sherit “may head into surgery shortly” with a hip injury, but did not specify the severity of the injury or how it will impact the rest of Sherit’s season.
If Sherit misses time, defensive lineman Cece Jefferson said it would be a significant blow to Florida’s defense.
“It's gonna impact us a lot,” Jefferson said. “His leadership and his football knowledge and just the great guy that he is.”
Sherit entered Saturday’s game tied for second on the team with two sacks, and collected four tackles, half of a sack and two quarterback hurries in Florida’s 19-17 loss to Texas A&M.
“Jordan’s my man. I’ve got nothing but love for him,” senior cornerback Duke Dawson said. “But it’s the next man up.”
Florida’s mood after the game? Players insist they’re fine:
Despite two consecutive losses to conference teams, putting an end to any hopes of an SEC title run, players insisted that Florida’s morale is still high.
"The mood (in the locker room) is good,” Jefferson said. “You know, there's nobody fighting and bickering. There's a lot of coming together and leaders stepping up and leading, exactly what we need at a time like this.”
Jefferson added that, heading into a BYE week, the Gators feel more motivated to play well against a ranked Georgia team in Jacksonville on Oct. 28. The losses are fueling them, he said.
Offensive lineman Martez Ivey agreed.
“We’re a team and we’re not separated from each other,” Ivey said. “And we’re not going one way or another, like we’re here. It’s a team game, there’s no ‘I’ in it. It is what it is.”
All Florida can do is practice and watch film, Jefferson said, and hope that its game against Georgia ends in a different outcome than its previous two.
“We're gonna get this thing back on track immediately,” Jefferson said. “These past two games, that's not the Florida Gator way, and that's definitely not Florida Gator football.”
Jeawon Taylor shines:
With safety Nick Washington sideline with a shoulder injury, sophomore Jeawon Taylor started in his place.
And he didn’t disappoint.
Taylor recorded an interception and four tackles during Florida’s loss, a promising sign for a young defensive back group with two other young players receiving significant saps: freshmen cornerbacks Marco Wilson and CJ Henderson.
“I love to see all those guys doing great, man,” Dawson, a senior cornerback, said. “When they see guys like me leading by example, showing them, they’re gonna play better. And I feel like those guys improved. Jeawon is coming along. All the other guys are coming along as well. Just gotta prepare and come out and play.”
You can follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @icohenb, and contact him at icohen@alligator.org.
Jordan Sherit (17) attempts to get past a blocker during Florida's 19-17 loss against Texas A&M on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
