Florida star CB Jason Marshall Jr. out for season, WR Eugene Wilson III, RB Treyaun Webb out vs. Georgia

Football

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Image Credit: Ashley Ray, UAA

An already-thin Florida Gators roster will be even thinner as the program approaches its biggest game of the season Saturday against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gators will be without two of their top playmakers and another key contributor in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Most notable among the absences is senior cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., who will miss the remainder of the season with a torn labrum that requires surgery. He is the second prominent veteran starter to be ruled out for the campaign over the last few weeks joining redshirt senior quarterback Graham Mertz (torn ACL).

Marshall did not put up immense stats this season, but that’s largely because the opposition avoided throwing to his side of the field given he has been UF’s lone lock-down corner. He returned to the Gators for his senior season largely to improve his NFL stock, and while he only got half the campaign to flex his ability, he certainly put enough on tape to be considered as a second-day pick in April 2025.

Sophomore wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, who has only played in four of Florida’s seven games to this point, will also miss the game with a lingering hip injury that has bothered him throughout the season. Wilson was expected to be the Gators’ No. 1 receiver this year but instead ranks third on the team with just 19 receptions for 266 yards and one touchdown.

“It’s unfortunate. The injury bug is part of the game,” Napier said on Monday. “… We’ve done quite a bit of work with him.”

Sophomore running back Treyaun Webb will also miss his third straight game with a nagging knee injury. Webb entered the season as the primary backup behind senior Montrell Johnson Jr., but he sits fifth on the team in rushing with just 21 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown on the campaign. Webb’s absence has been less impactful amid the rises of freshman Jadan Baugh and junior Ja’Keem Jackson.

Florida entered the 2024 season with the nation’s toughest schedule. To this point, each of its losses has come to teams currently ranked in the top 10, but it will now be forced to face its fourth such opponent without multiple key players that would have otherwise given the Gators a fighting chance.

UGA is a 14-point favorite on Saturday. UF has lost three straight to its border rival by an average of 24 points.