Florida Gators sophomore linebacker Shemar James underwent season-ending knee surgery Tuesday and will sit out the remainder of the 2023 season, Florida head coach Billy Napier confirmed Wednesday.
“Shemar has been outstanding,” Napier said. “He's a great example of his practice habits, his character.”
James suffered a left knee injury before the game during warmups against Georgia Saturday. The CBS broadcast said the stadium turf at EverBank Stadium was redone during the week in preparation of the rivalry game.
James returned to the locker room before the game and came back out wearing a knee brace. He played throughout most of the first half but left the game after reaggravating in the third quarter and did not return.
James sustained a similar knee injury during fall training camp which had him sidelined for two weeks. He also had a similar injury in high school, Napier said.
James was the Gators starting linebacker alongside redshirt sophomore Scooby Williams and was one of the best players on Florida’s defense this season.
He leads the team in total tackles with 55 and solo tackles with 24. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack in his sophomore campaign.
Redshirt junior linebacker Mannie Nunnery is slated to start in James’s absence. The Houston transfer has 12 total tackles this season. Freshman Jaden Robinson and junior Derek Wingo are also listed on the depth chart.
“I think it presents a great opportunity for those three guys and they've always had good weeks,” Napier said.
The Gators are set to play against the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-6, 0-5 SEC) 1 p.m. Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @lukeadrag.
Luke Adragna is a third-year journalism student and the Florida Gators football reporter at The Alligator. He is a cat ethusiast and completes the NYT Daily Mini in less than a minute each day.
