Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel underwent appendectomy surgery on Tuesday, the team announced.
“Jeff had acute appendicitis and fortunately the medical staff caught it very quickly,” Muschamp said in a press release.
Coach Will Muschamp said the amount of time Driskel will miss will be based on how he recovers from the surgery, which he said could be up to about two weeks.
Driskel is expected to start at quarterback this season. Last year, he threw for 1,646 yards and 12 touchdowns while tossing five interceptions. Driskel also ran for more than 400 yards.
The Gators begin fall training camp on Friday. Driskel could return before Aug. 15 – the first of the Gators’ four fall practices open to the public.
Other quarterbacks on Florida’s roster include junior Tyler Murphy and redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg. Neither have thrown an in-game pass for the Gators.
Cooper says slur: On Wednesday, CrossingBroad.com released a video of former Gators and current Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper using a racial slur during a Kenny Chesney concert on June 8 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
“I will jump that fence and fight every n----r here,” Cooper says in the 20-second clip.
Cooper soon apologized for his actions via his Twitter account (@RileyCooper_14).
“I am so ashamed and disgusted with myself,” Cooper wrote. “I want to apologize. I have been offensive. I have apologized to my coach, (Philadelphia Eagles owner) Jeffrey Lurie, and (general manager) Howie Roseman and to my teammates. I owe an apology to the fans and to this community. I am so ashamed, but there are no excuses. What I did was wrong and I will accept the consequences.”
Cooper held a press conference on Wednesday night and said he was drinking at the concert. He also said the team fined him “a good amount of money.”
With Jeremy Maclin sidelined for the year with an ACL tear, Cooper is expected to be the Eagles’ No. 2 receiver this season.
Leak joins offensive staff: Two months after joining the Florida coaching staff as a quality control coach, former Gators quarterback Chris Leak was named a graduate assistant on Wednesday.
Leak was Florida’s starting quarterback from 2003 to 2006. He is the all-time leader in quarterback starts (47) and passing yards (11,213).
Leak won the national title game MVP after Florida defeated Ohio State 41-14 in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org. Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org.
Editor’s note: This story was edited and re-published for the Welcome Back Edition of the Alligator on August 21.
Jeff Driskel throws a pass during Florida’s 38-0 win against Kentucky at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 22. Driskel is expected to begin practicing in two weeks.
