Notebook: Florida Gators Football Updates Ahead Of Season Opener; Injuries, Transfers and More

As the No. 13 Florida Gators prepare to kick off their 2021 season this Saturday, everything speeds up and the details become more important. There is no more fall camp or offseason to wade through, hoping things work themselves out before the season.

With that in mind, we break down the biggest pieces of news to emerge from the Gators thus far this week, and things of note from Head Coach Dan Mullen’s press conference.

Annual Scooter Accident

The students at University of Florida are infamous for their chosen mode of transportation; scooters and mopeds. They’re perfect for zipping through traffic and enjoying the Florida weather. When met with large football players, they’re also good for one or two wrecks a year. The Gators filled their card in that regard this week, when freshman offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil was in an accident.

According to the UF student newspaper, The Alligator, Mugharbil “suffered non-life-threatening injuries after he failed to use the proper designated lane.”

Gainesville Police Department spokesperson Graham Glover told The Alligator that Mugharbil failed to stop and crashed into a semi-truck, suffering road rash. Mugharbil was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital and is in stable condition as of Monday morning, Glover said.

Two and a half hours later, Mullen was asked if he and the staff knew of the crash.

“Yep, we do. We know. I don’t have every detail but he’s ok,” revealed Mullen.

Truesdell Transfers In

The Gators continue to dominate in the transfer portal, picking up another huge get at the beginning of the week. Defensive lineman Tyrone Truesdell transferred from Auburn and is already enrolled in classes at UF. He joined the Gators for his first practice on Monday.

He’ll join his former Auburn Tiger defensive lineman teammate Daquan Newkirk who transferred to UF this offseason.

“He was a guy that we were excited about trying to get here, and then we're, you know certainly happy and fortunate that it finally came about and we look forward to watching him play on Saturday,” said defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who also clarified despite the quick turnaround, Truesdell will be ready to play on Saturday versus the Owls.

Added Mullen, “I think you’re looking at your depth and that was a position really, to me, it was a little bit of a recruiting gap in the middle that we’ve had from my first and second year here. Then you have some injuries and some guys not able to perform.

“It was somebody that we looked at immediately at the start of training camp and it’s just something that you look at the depth chart, where you’re at, the needs, and you got a guy that started a lot of games in this league, the opportunity for him to come in — I know it’s kind of a late start but being a veteran guy that’s started in the league I think he’s going to adapt really quick.”

Chatfield Transfers Out

Defensive lineman Andrew Chatfield has put his name in the transfer portal, originally reported by Matt Zenitz of On3Sports. It was later confirmed by Chatfield on his social media.

Given the depth at his position, there weren’t as many snaps available for Chatfield.

Injuries

Safety Kamar Wilcoxson did not appear on the depth chart Florida released on Monday. Probably due to the fact that on Saturday, he indicated on his social media that he had been injured to some capacity.

Mullen downplayed the possibility, stating, “He has a slight knee issue, so he’ll be doubtful this week. We’ll see how that plays out, though, moving forward.” Yet half an hour before Mullen’s press conference, Wilcoxson tweeted he was heading into surgery. The full extent or nature of his injury is not known at this time.

Defensive lineman Jalen Lee is “questionable” according to Mullen. The coach said Daquan Newkirk is “good to go.”

*Make sure to check out GatorBait later this week for more previews as the Gators kick-off their 2021 season, as well as a depth chart analysis.