The No. 9 Florida Gators will open SEC play at Kentucky likely without two of their top playmakers, receiver Kadarius Toney and cornerback CJ Henderson.
Toney definitely is out at least a couple of weeks with a left shoulder injury, Gators coach Dan Mullen said Monday. Meanwhile, Henderson’s left ankle sprain, while minor, leaves him doubtful for Saturday’s visit to Lexington.
UF (2-0) now must to turn to some young, inexperienced players to fill the void against the Wildcats (2-0) as Mullen’s squad looks to avenge last season’s stunning home loss to Kentucky, a 27-16 winner a year ago to snap the Gators’ nation-leading 31-game winning streak in the series.
Henderson, an All-SEC candidate and projected first-round NFL draft pick, wants to try to suit up against the Wildcats, but Mullen said he does not want to rush back his star cornerback and risk further injury.
“Just as a skilled athlete, sometimes that’s a little trickier,” Mullen said. “But hopefully he’ll be back pretty quick. We’re going to see how it goes. We’re not going to put him out there unless he’s 100 percent healthy.”
Toney’s shoulder injury is expected to sideline him for the Gators’ first two SEC games, including a noon visit Sept. 21 in the Swamp against rival Tennessee.
“We’ll see how it heals,” Mullen said.
The two injuries leave the Gators to replace two players with unmatched skill sets.
Henderson is the team’s fastest player, according to safety Donovan Stiner, but also possesses great ball skills and the aggressiveness to jar loose the ball when it arrives. Henderson had a pass break-up in each of the Gators’ first two games, has not allowed a touchdown pass since 2017 and virtually can eliminate an opponent’s top receiver.
Kentucky will be replacing starting quarterback Terry Wilson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, with Troy transfer Sawyer Smith, who was 5-2 as a 2018 starter and threw 14 touchdowns.
“It’ll be tough. That’s my right-hand man,” redshirt sophomore cornerback Marco Wilson said of Henderson. “Not having him out there, it sucks, but it gives those young guys an opportunity to get in a real game against an SEC opponent. so that’ll be good for them and I’m sure he’ll be out helping them all week and getting them prepared for the game.”
A trio of Gators’ freshman cornerbacks made an impact during this past weekend’s 45-0 home win against UT-Martin.
Chester Kimbrough, the first of the freshman cornerbacks to enter the game, finished with four tackles, including three solos; Kaiir Elam intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the Skyhawks’ best scoring chance; and Jaydon Hill had four tackles, but his one solo stop potentially saved a touchdown.
“One of the things that we talked about was getting them all in the game very early, not just, ‘Hey, we’ll get a lead and put them in,’ ” Mullen said. “They started right in the second series; we started rolling those guys through. I think they gained that knowledge and that experience of being out there on the field playing with the 1 defense, and so that’s going to help them moving forward.”
Toney’s elusiveness will be impossible to replicated by anyone among a talented group of receivers. During a season-opening win against Miami, Toney used his instincts, remarkable cutting ability and acceleration to turn a screen pass into a 66-yard touchdown.
“KT is one of those special players,” quarterback Feleipe Franks said.
Talented redshirt freshman Jacob Copeland is one of the leading candidates for Toney’s touches. The top-rated recruit in the Gators’ 2017 class, Copeland battled injuries all last season. But during preseason camp he was healthy and showed the speed. power and versatility that made him a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school in Pensacola.
“He took snaps at running back too, so you can put him anywhere on the field and he’s gonna make plays,” Wilson said.
Against UT-Martin, Copeland caught three passes for 23 yards, including a 9-yard score, and had a 15-yard run.
“That was really only the first time he got to do something serious in a game and that’s only the beginning for him,” Wilson said. “I think that guy is gonna be a great player for the season to come.”
Toney’s left arm absorbed a helmet hit as he was tackled during the first quarter against UT-Martin. Henderson injured his left leg at the end of an incomplete pass to UT-Martin’s Jaylon Hill.
Franks said he spoke to Toney at halftime of the game and he understandably was “a little down.”
“It’s not fun when you get hurt,” Franks said. “But he has the right attitude to keep continually prepare his body to get ready for when he is back. I think that’s the most important thing: that he keeps his mindset in the right place and I think that’s a good thing. I think he’ll be back soon enough.”
Mullen said the Gators expect sophomore Amari Burney and safety Jeawon Taylor to return this week after sitting out the UT-Martin game with injuries.
