After an apparent knee injury in last Saturday’s annual Florida Football Orange and Blue game, defensive end/linebacker Ronald Powell was taken out of the game in the first half.
Initially, Gator head coach Will Muschamp stated that the injury was just a sprain. However, after team doctors took a look at it on Monday, the diagnosis was upgraded to a torn ACL.
Recovery from the injury is expected to take four to six months, leaving the former number one recruit possibly on the outside of the regular season looking in. Having missed just one game last season, the projected timetable for his return might not be until around October.
Replacing Powell won’t be easy as the junior was the leading sacker for the Gators a year ago and many believed he was the best defensive player for Florida coming into this season. Three players looking to fill the void are redshirt senior Lerentee McCray, redshirt sophomore Gideon Ajagbe and freshman Dante Fowler Jr.