Florida star DE Cece Jefferson injured during spring game, reportedly out four months

By Adam Silverstein
April 19, 2018
Florida star DE Cece Jefferson injured during spring game, reportedly out four months
Football

Image Credit: AP

It would not be a college football offsesaon without a star Florida Gators player injured, though rare is it the case that it happens on the final day of spring practice. Senior defensive end Cece Jefferson, arguably Florida’s most important defensive player and one of the top NFL prospects on the team entering 2018, will reportedly miss up to four months after injuring his shoulder Saturday in the 2018 Orange & Blue Debut.

Jefferson underwent “significant” surgery earlier this week after injuring his right shoulder during the first half of the spring game, according to The Gainesville Sun</a>, which first reported the injury. Though the Gators have yet to confirm the injury or the surgery, The Sun‘s Robbie Andreu reports that Jefferson could be seen wearing “a cumbersome brace on his right arm” while on campus Wednesday.

The last five-star prospect to commit to Florida, Jefferson chose to return to college for his senior season as opposed to leaving early with eligibility remaining and try his hand at the NFL this offseason. ESPN reports that Jefferson is “expected to return at some point during” fall camp in August, though he will obviously need to be cleared before returning to the field and that will be determined solely based on how well he heals from the surgery and rehabilitation.

Jefferson, who started eight games last season, has racked up 9.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss over three years, and while those numbers are not massive, he led the Gators’ defense in both categories last campaign with 4.5 and 13.5, respectively. It is expected that Jefferson will be heavily utilized as an edge rusher in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham‘s 3-4 scheme this upcoming season.

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