Jon Sumrall provided excellent news on Monday morning: Senior wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. is expected to be full-go in practice this week for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in Week 1.
Singleton Jr. returned to game action last week against Ole Miss, but played just six snaps, all of which came in the second half and after Vernell Brown III went down with an injury. Singleton pretty much exclusively ran go routes and deep posts without displaying a ton of cutting.
“I think [Eric] Singleton’s going to be full-go this week. He was ready to go pre-game, we didn’t really use him early. Obviously had a big impact late. But I think he’ll be back to — if not 100 percent, like I don’t think you’re ever 100 percent anymore these days, but he’ll be close to full speed from what he can do, I think, on Saturday. As of right now that’s what it looks like.”
The 5’10”, 180-pound receiver returning to full strength, or at least close to it, is a significant development for Florida’s offense. You saw flashes of his speed last week. He ended up catching his first pass as a Gator in the victory, a 38-yard reception late in the fourth quarter. He also drew a DPI on another deep route. And that’s with very limited practice reps.
Singleton Jr. is the fastest player on Florida’s team. He ran over 23 MPH in the offseason, according to Director of Football Performance Rusty Whitt. That stacks up with the fastest players in college football.
His deep-threat ability forces defenses to respect him vertically. Why is that significant for Florida’s offense? Well, the Gators have had a ton of success running the football this season, especially in conference play.
Florida ran for 242 yards against Auburn and 302 yards against Ole Miss. Last week, the Rebels were putting eight and nine defenders in the box at times to try to slow Florida’s rushing attack, leaving the outside receivers in single coverage. It still didn’t work, but that was their strategy.
If teams do that moving forward, Singleton Jr. is going to have ample opportunities to win down the field and create explosive plays. If they decide to respect his speed and skillet, they’re putting fewer hats in the box against the most elusive running back in college football.
“He’s going to stretch the defense vertically and if he’s not, you’re going to be worried about it,” senior safety DJ Coleman said. “So, I mean, just having a guy like him on the field can only open the offense more because we’ve been running the ball great, I mean, probably the best in the country so far and if you have somebody like that who can just take the top off the defense it just opens up the playbook even more for the offense.”
The fun part of Florida’s offense is that they can beat you in a variety of ways given their well-rounded skill set. Singleton Jr. only adds to that dynamic.
The other reason Singleton Jr.’s return to full strength could be significant in the near future: Wide receivers Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton will be limited this week, and their status for the upcoming game is uncertain.
Brown III has a mild knee strain that isn’t considered serious and is more of a pain-tolerance issue. Stockton was also injured against Ole Miss and will be limited.
If both were to miss time, Florida would be without two of its top four receivers against Missouri.