Florida Gators sophomore edge rusher LJ McCray has suffered a lower body injury, Gator Country has learned. McCray was not observed during Thursday’s practice session and did not participate in Saturday’s scrimmage. Zach Abolverdi of Gators Online was first to report.
McCray is considered ‘week to week’ at this time, per a source.
McCray played in all 13 games throughout his freshman campaign in 2024, totaling 13 tackles, one tackle for loss, and half a sack across 181 snaps. The former No.1 defensive lineman in the 2024 is expected to play a significant role in 2025 after an impressive offseason.
“He probably had one of the best offseasons out of anybody,” strength and conditioning coach Tyler Miles said on McCray. “He gained like 40 pounds in each one of his lifts, PRed by 40 pounds. You can see it now in his arms. He’s more thicker with more muscle. He had a phenomenal offseason.”
The 6’6, 268-pound edge rusher switched from the ‘F’ position to ‘JACK’ this offseason, where he is expected to compete with George Gumbs Jr., Jayden Woods, and Kofi Asare.
“He’s got a tremendous skill set. Very talented,” defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said on McCray. “What I see on the field, I’m hoping, again, I think it’s sometimes to this point you can jump ahead and not trying to put pressure on a player. And you want to see them do it in the season and do that. But I would suspect and I’m hoping he has a break-out season and he’s an impact player that we all think he can be. I think he can do that.”
McCray’s status for Florida’s season opener vs Long Island on August 31st is unclear.