Florida heads into its Week 7 matchup with Texas with a handful of moving parts still unresolved, and the final SEC availability report left the biggest questions right where they were all week.
Quarterback Aaron Philo, wide receiver Vernell Brown III and wide receiver Bailey Stockton were all tagged as game-time decisions Saturday morning ahead of the noon ET kickoff. Running back Duke Clark, meanwhile, remains out and will not play.
Clark’s absence was expected after he hurt his left ankle in the first half against South Carolina last Saturday. He was in a boot on the sideline after the injury, and the recovery is expected to take multiple weeks.
Philo has been the most closely watched name on Florida’s report. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported Wednesday that Philo had been limited in practice while working back from a shoulder injury. The issue likely traces to a fourth-quarter scramble against South Carolina, after which he was pulled for a play and then eventually for the game.
There was already a strong hint Friday about where Florida might be leaning at quarterback. On3’s Pete Nakos reported that the Gators are expected to start Tramell Jones against Texas, though the final call was still expected to come Saturday morning.
Brown’s availability has been a storyline of its own. The sophomore has been out since suffering a knee strain against Ole Miss in Week 4, missing most of that game and the two contests that followed against Missouri and South Carolina.
“VB's trying to play. He's not like, 'I'm going to take the week off' or 'I'm going to take next week.'
No, he's trying like hell to play,” Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said Monday. “But at the same time, we have to be smart-tough, not dumb-tough.”
Stockton’s status showed up on the report for an undisclosed reason, though he has recently dealt with a back injury after taking a targeted hit against Ole Miss. He had been listed as questionable before the Missouri game and still played in that road loss, then suited up again in the homecoming defeat against South Carolina.
Texas’ final report was shorter. Wide receiver Kaliq Lockett and offensive lineman Jaydon Chatman were both ruled out, while defensive lineman Justus Terry and offensive lineman Jordan Coleman, who had appeared on earlier versions of the report, were no longer listed.
Florida’s final availability report listed Philo, Brown and Stockton as game-time decisions, with Clark out. Texas listed Lockett and Chatman out.
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Among the biggest reasons for the surge is wide receiver Easton Royal, who gave Florida another marquee win after starting his process with Texas. That kind of momentum matters because it changes the pressure around every recruiting battle Florida enters from here, especially with more high-profile decisions still to come and rivals now forced to keep pace with a class that is gaining real national traction. [Read more 🡒]