Florida Gators Injury Update: Pitts, Whittemore Out, Houston Questionable
Photo credit: University of Florida Athletic Association
As the No. 6 Florida Gators get set to take on Vanderbilt this week, Florida head coach Dan Mullen provided some insight into what players would be unavailable heading into the week and their statuses for the game itself.
Florida will be without a couple of key players this week, including tight end Kyle Pitts who is still recovering from nose surgery after sustaining the injury against the Georgia Bulldogs two weeks ago, a hit that sent him into the concussion protocol, missing the team's contest on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Pitts is not the only player who will be missing this week's contest, however. Wide receiver Trent Whittemore will also be absent, dealing with rib/lung issues, sustaining the injury against Arkansas last week. One other player, Florida linebacker James Houston IV, who missed Saturday's contest against Arkansas due to undisclosed reasons, will be questionable for this week's contest.
“Injury update. Pitts will not be available this week for us," Mullen said this week. "Trent Whittemore had a broken rib and a punctured lung in the game Saturday, so he won’t be available for us this week. James Houston is questionable. We’ll see how the week progresses with him. That’s about it. Everybody else should be good to go at this time.”
While Florida will certainly miss Pitts again this week, the team performed more than well against Arkansas this week with the top offensive weapon absent. Florida didn't appear to miss a beat, throwing 356 yards, completing 23 out of 29 of his passes and six touchdowns.
Without Whittemore, the Gators will need to look for more targets out of their slot receiver position in Kadarius Toney and potentially transfer receiver Jordan Pouncey, who has yet to see much action this season. With Houston questionable, Florida will need to rely on its depth at linebacker, including Mohamoud Diabate, Amari Burney and freshman linebacker Derek Wingo.
Stay tuned to AllGators.com for more later in the week as we learn about the status of the team's injured players.
