Florida got a couple of encouraging updates on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s 12:45 p.m. ET matchup with South Carolina at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The biggest one: senior safety Bryce Thornton is off the availability report, a strong sign he’ll be back after missing Florida’s 45-17 loss at Missouri. Running back London Montgomery also moved from questionable to probable, while cornerback Dijon Johnson remains probable for the Gators’ Homecoming game. Wide receiver Vernell Brown III, though, is still listed as questionable.
On South Carolina’s side, the Thursday report included several absences. DB Jalewis Solomon, WR Jayden Sellers, EDGE Kobby Sakyi-Prah, and OL Josiah Thompson are all out. DB Quay’sheed Scott, EDGE Julian Walker, DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, and OL Carter Miller are doubtful, while WR Mazeo Bennett Jr. is probable.
Brown’s status has been the one to watch all week after he suffered a low-grade knee strain in Florida’s Week 4 win over Ole Miss. He sat out the Missouri game after entering that weekend as doubtful, and Florida coach Sumrall has kept the door open on a return.
"[Brown] is cleared to participate. It's just a matter of - he'll run today.
He did not participate fully in practice today. He was out there at practice.
He will do a running session with the athletic training staff,"
"At this point with him, it's up to just his level of confidence in being able to do it, but he's trending positively. What does that mean for Saturday?
I don't know yet. But he has the ability to run, but he's just got to see how confident he is in cutting it loose."
Brown has been Florida’s second-leading receiver through Week 5, with 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Without him against Missouri, quarterback Aaron Philo averaged a season-low 5.8 yards per passing attempt over a season-high 34 attempts.
Sumrall sounded more optimistic again on Wednesday during the SEC teleconference, saying Brown had shown improvement even while being limited in practice.
"You know what, I just saw him. He looks a lot better.
He did not fully participate in practice today. He did run a little bit more yesterday, so we're cycling.
He ran yesterday, today is more of a recovery day and the back end of this week, we'll give him a little bit of a run Thursday and Friday. Just saw him though, probably 30 minutes ago before I hopped on this call.
He seems really optimistic,"
"Like I've told you guys, a lot of it is just his confidence and if he's able to go play. He seemed a lot more confident today than I've seen him in the last week and a half.
So, that's encouraging. And then Eric Singleton today ran 22-plus MPH.
So both of those guys are trending upward right now from maybe where they've been."
Thornton’s situation also appears to be moving in the right direction after he was unexpectedly held out at Missouri because of a lower-body soft-tissue injury suffered during pre-game warmups. Sumrall said Monday that the issue was not considered a long-term concern, and his availability for Week 6 came down to how he handled the week in practice.
"The good news is on the imaging, ultrasound, all the stuff they did in the athlete training room, nothing substantial,"
"So it's just more of how does he feel right now. I feel good about where it's at.
It's not like something where I have news, like, 'He's out.' He's got a really good shot at being available; just depends on how he feels as he goes in the week."
Thornton has been a key piece for Florida this season, with 14 tackles and two defended passes in four games. Over his Gators career, he has piled up 145 tackles, eight for loss, 1.5 sacks, four interceptions, 12 defended passes, two forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown in 37 appearances.
And Florida felt his absence in Columbia. Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns while completing 77 percent of his passes, and Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode combined for 14 catches, 204 yards and one score against the shorthanded Gators.
"He's a high-level communicator. He's also more of a physical presence even though he's not the biggest-statured guy. He throws his body around, and you feel him,"
"But the thing I thought the most with him not being out there was just at safety: the communication piece, he does that probably the best. He's got the most experience back there and has a lot of confidence. And so I think you felt him not being out there with maybe how we were directing traffic, if you will, to get us set on the backend."
In Other News...
Florida Gymnastics Shakeup Just Got Even More Emotional
Floridas gymnastics roster has taken an unexpected turn, with Leanne Wong, Kaylee Bluffstone and Taylor Clark all removed from the active list and the program offering no public explanation for the moves. Head coach Jenny Rowland has confirmed the changes, but so far she has stopped short of providing any specifics, leaving the situation around one of the sports most closely watched teams to be sorted through mostly from the outside.
Skylar Drasers recent removal from the roster has only added to the unease, especially after the senior pushed back on the online speculation swirling around the team. Draser also said she plans to graduate and enter the NCAA transfer portal, a development that gives the Gators even more to sort out as the season moves forward and the unanswered questions around the roster continue to hang over the program. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Now Has A Bigger Problem To Solve Against South Carolina
Floridas trip to South Carolina just got a little more complicated with Dylan Stewart back in the picture. The Gamecocks defensive end had been sidelined since an incident in the Week 4 game against Alabama, which kept him out of the next matchup against Kentucky, but ESPNs Pete Thamel reported that his indefinite suspension has now been lifted.
For Florida, that means preparing for a South Carolina defense with one of its most disruptive pieces available again. Any game on the road in the SEC is hard enough, and now the Gators have another pass-rushing threat to account for as they try to sort out a matchup that already carried plenty of weight. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Still Has One Top 10 Doubt To Silence Fast
Floridas latest run has left the Gators looking like a team that can overwhelm elite competition one week and look far less settled the next. The win over Ole Miss gave the program a major boost and reinforced the idea that it belongs in the upper tier nationally, but the uneven showing against Missouri kept the discussion from becoming a full-blown coronation. Around the sport, the consensus has been strong enough to place Florida among the top 10 teams, even if the precise slot keeps shifting depending on how much weight is given to each of those two very different outings.
For Florida, the real issue now is less about outside perception than about proving the Ole Miss version is the one that shows up more often in SEC play. The upcoming stretch will give the Gators chances to do exactly that, and Jon Sumrall will have his hands full getting the team ready for a league slate that does not forgive inconsistency. If Florida wants the ranking debate to quiet down, it has to settle it on the field fast. [Read more 🡒]