GAINESVILLE
— Ronald Powell, one of the most promising young players on
Florida's defense, is in danger of missing significant time this
season because of an injury suffered during the Gators' spring game
Saturday.
The
junior defensive end tore the ACL in his left knee and the school
expects him to be out 4-6 months. The back end of that recovery
estimate would keep him out of the Gators' first five games.
That
would hurt Florida badly, especially because the upcoming schedule
starts out tougher than in recent years. Rather than open the season
with two home games against non-conference teams, the Gators will
start the season in Gainesville against Bowling Green on Sept. 1,
then face a big test by visiting new SEC program Texas A&M in
Week 2.
They
follow that with a trip to Tennessee and a home game against Kentucky
before a challenging October slate that features four teams that
played in bowl games last year: LSU, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and
Georgia.
The
school's projection of Powell being out 4-6 months seems
conservative. Coach Will Muschamp said on the school website that he
hopes to get Powell in for surgery as soon as possible, but doctors
cannot operate on his knee until the swelling goes down. Muschamp
initially thought Powell suffered a sprain.
The
6-foot-4, 240-pound Powell led the team with six sacks last season,
his first as a full-time starter.
Florida
already was missing five defensive starters in Saturday's spring
game. Safety Matt Elam (groin) from Dwyer and middle linebacker Jon
Bostic (back) from Palm Beach Central practiced, but sat out of the
game. Defensive tackle Dominique Easley (knee), linebacker Lerentee
McCray (shoulder) and cornerback Marcus Roberson (neck) were limited
or out the entire spring.
Easley
suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against Florida State last
November and it remains uncertain when he will return.
As
the Gators enter their third year of rebuilding the offense, their
defense is their best hope for contending in the SEC this season.
Florida was ranked No. 8 in the country in fewest yards allowed and
second in third-down defense last season. It was set to return 10 of
11 starters if everyone was healthy.
Red-shirt
sophomore Gideon Ajagbe, who has played one career game, was listed
as Powell's back-up during spring practices. The Gators also could
look at moving another linebacker or defensive end to fill his spot.
According
to teammates and coaches, Powell was having a tremendous off-season
and figured to play a major role this fall for a team trying to
rebound from last year's 7-6 record.
"Just
overall pleased with his effort and everything he's trying to do,"
Muschamp said last month.
Powell
plays the Buck position, a hybrid between an end and a linebacker,
which is one of the most important in Muschamp's defense. Muschamp
believes the right player at that spot can be overwhelming for
opposing offenses.
In
his first two years at Florida, Powell played 25 games and started 13
times.
"cant
nothin Stop me but me," Powell posted on his Twitter account
Monday. "Ive over come so much in life y stop now..."
He
missed one game last season and started the other 12. He was 10th on
the team with 32 tackles, nine of which were for negative yardage.
He
came to the Gators from Moreno Valley, Calif., in 2010 as the No. 1
overall prospect in the country according to Rivals.com.
