Gators may miss Debose more than you think
Look, no one in their right mind is ever going to feel sorry for the loaded Florida Gators, but if there’s one position where UF had a few questions entering this season it was at receiver in the wake of losing Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy to the NFL.
One expected replacement was true freshman Andre Debose, but he will have surgery for a torn tendon in his hamstring and now miss the season – and no doubt redshirt.
Coach Urban Meyer had compared Debose to Harvin when he was recruited in February. Doctors must re-attach Debose’s tendon muscle to the bone, said Meyer, who doesn’t have a timetable on the surgery or rehabilitation. The injury originally happened while Debose was running track over the summer.
For the past week, Debose and his parents, along with UF team doctors and trainers, have been studying his options and working with other doctors who are more familiar with the injury. Asked how he took the news, Meyer said: “tough”.
“He wanted to really play,” Meyer said. “But that’s where he has the support of a great mom and dad. Really, he’s crushed. But he also understands that this is a marathon, not a sprint. So he’s going to get fixed.. .. You know how much I wanted to see him.”
Debose totaled 3,082 rushing, passing, receiving and return yards and scored 22 touchdowns as a senior at Seminole (Fla.) High School. He totaled 1,186 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.
The loss means Florida will be using players at Harvin’s old position “by committee right now,” Meyer said. That means Brandon James will see more time at receiver. Running backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey are also working at the spot left behind by Harvin.
This is the second season in a row Florida has lost one of its top offensive weapons before he played a game. Last year, it was All-SEC tight end Cornelius Ingram to a knee injury.
Like I said, no one is feeling sorry for the Gators, but this could come back and hurt them. Debose was considered arguably the biggest all-around playmaker on the roster despite his youth.
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