As Gator Country reported last night, redshirt senior wide receiver Andre Debose left practice with an apparent knee injury. Brent Pease confirmed that Debose “tweaked” his knee last night during practice. The injury turned out to be more serious than the coaching staff first anticipated when the knee was examined on Wednesday.
Sources told Gatorcountry.com that after having his knee examined further, today it was revealed that Debose tore his ACL and will be out for the season.
The former 5-star recruit has struggled to live up to his high school hype and the sky-high expectations that followed him from Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida. Early reports out of camp seemed to indicate that Debose was realizing that his college career was coming to an end shortly and he was doing the things he needed to do in practice to be successful on the field.
Having already used his redshirt status during his first year on campus, Debose will have to apply for a sixth year of eligibility through a hardship waiver – more commonly referred to as a medical redshirt.
Gator Country will continue to update the story as more news is released.
UPDATE: The University of Florida released a statement confirming the news that Gator Country broke about Debose suffering an ACL injury to his left knee that will require surgery. In the statement Will Muschamp said:
“I know that Andre is disappointed. He had been doing very well in camp and we were more than pleased with his effort and attitude. Andre was hurt in a non-contact situation. He just planted his foot and there was a tear. He will have surgery after the swelling goes down. It is unfortunate and you feel bad anytime that someone is injured, and the coaching staff and our team will be very supportive in assisting Andre during his recovery.”