Florida will have to sort through three questionable offensive players before facing No. 7 Texas, with junior quarterback Aaron Philo, sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III and senior receiver Bailey Stockton all tagged as game-time decisions on the Gators’ final availability report, released 90 minutes before kickoff.
Florida also listed running back Duke Clark as out. Texas, meanwhile, reported wide receiver Kaliq Lockett and offensive lineman Jaydon Chatman as out.
Philo’s status has been in doubt all week. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported Wednesday that he had been limited in practice while dealing with the ailment, and his availability for Saturday remained unsettled.
The sophomore was banged up in Florida’s Week 6 loss to South Carolina, leaving the field for one play after a hard hit on a fourth-quarter scramble before returning for a snap. He was later pulled for the Gators’ final two offensive series, though it is not clear whether that hit caused the injury.
Through six games as Florida’s starter, Philo has completed 105 of 149 passes for 1,341 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 161 true yards and three scores.
If he can’t go, sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. is next up. Jones has appeared in five games this season and has gone 23 of 29 for 252 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Brown’s situation has been familiar for the last couple of weeks: close, but not over the line yet. The starting slot receiver entered Week 7 questionable after sitting out the previous two games with a knee strain he suffered against Ole Miss in Week 4.
Even with the missed time, he remains Florida’s No. 2 receiver on the season with 271 yards and two touchdowns in four appearances. His 17 catches trail only Dallas Wilson’s 26 and Stockton’s 23.
On Monday, head coach Jon Sumrall made clear Brown has been pushing to return.
"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 of Brown's status on Monday. "But at the same time, we have to be smart-tough, not dumb-tough.
"I could watch him on Friday run-through, and the first couple plays, I looked at Paul Sylvestri, our trainer, because I stayed with the offense that part - I usually do on Friday anyways - to see the opening script a little bit to see how we're working, and he's in and he has a screen and I'm like, 'That didn't look very good.' And I'll say this: VB's 85 percent might be better than a lot of people's 100 percent, but it wasn't where he could go out and play the game the right way with confidence and protect himself and go cut it loose."
Stockton’s presence on the report was the surprise. The reason for his designation wasn’t disclosed, even though he played against South Carolina and turned in Florida’s top receiving line with eight catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. He had previously dealt with a back issue from a dirty hit against Ole Miss in Week 4, but he had not missed a game because of it and wasn’t listed on last week’s report.
Clark’s absence is tied to the left ankle injury he picked up in the first half against South Carolina, an injury that had him wearing a boot during the second half. He has been Florida’s change-of-pace back behind Jadan Baugh and has run for 265 yards and three touchdowns this season.
In Other News...
Florida Fans May See That 2024 Decommitment Wave Very Differently
Floridas 2024 recruiting cycle has taken on a different look a year later, especially when it comes to the group of prospects who backed away from their pledges. Xavier Filsaime is one of the more notable examples, with the former Gators commit now at Texas and dealing with an injury-plagued season that has kept him from making the kind of impact many expected when he was being recruited.
He is hardly alone in that regard. A review of seven top recruits from Floridas 2024 class who decommitted shows a mixed return at their new schools, with limited playing time, multiple transfers in some cases and several players still searching for a steady role. For Florida fans, the early frustration of losing those names may look a little different now, because the path away from Gainesville has not exactly produced a clean win for everyone involved. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Texas Game Suddenly Rests On One Huge QB Decision
Aaron Philos shoulder issue has turned Floridas trip to Texas into a late-week waiting game, with the Gators listing their quarterback as a gametime decision. If Philo is unable to go, Tramell Jones would be in line for his first career start, a major shift in the spotlight for a team trying to sort out its offense on short notice.
The uncertainty does not stop at quarterback. Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton are also listed as gametime decisions, while backup running back Duke Clark will not play, leaving Florida to piece together its depth chart as kickoff approaches. For a Gators team heading into a difficult matchup, the final availability report could end up shaping far more than just one position. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Proved It Can Still Take Down SEC Heavyweights
Floridas 27-24 win at Texas did more than just hand the Longhorns another loss, it reminded the SEC that the Gators still have the kind of upset punch that can change the conversation in a hurry. With backup quarterback Tramell Jones throwing two touchdown passes, Florida knocked off a No. 1-ranked team on the road and added a signature result to a season that now looks a lot more dangerous than it did a week ago.
The bigger takeaway for Florida is what the win says about its place in the league race. The Gators had not beaten two top-10 teams in the same season since 2012, and doing it in this setting gives the program a real benchmark under the lights. Texas, meanwhile, saw Arch Manning finish 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but the more telling number was the one attached to the Longhorns recent slide - two straight losses after opening the streak at No. 1. [Read more 🡒]