Billy Napier’s Florida Gators fall camp was supposed to be about momentum. But the mounting injury updates have plagued the roster, with fans dissecting every injury update. They are scrolling through the injury reports and have questions. A load of them. Lower-leg and hamstring injuries, as well as some undisclosed ones, with the ‘day-to-day’ schedule, have raised some eyebrows.

A couple of weeks ago, it was the offense that received a major preseason blow with QB1 DJ Lagway sustaining a calf strain. He was limited in his spring drills owing to his shoulder injury, but as the fall camp was about to kick off, he was listed under “day-to-day.” Just weeks earlier, he had declared himself 100% healthy.

And this week, Gators Online has come up with another scoop. Another key instrument has been off the turf. This major bow is straight to the D-line. Defensive lineman Caleb Banks has sustained a lower leg injury and is presently in a boot. However, the program sources reveal that it’s not serious. His injury is day-to-day, and the DL has been out for the majority of the offseason. Banks didn’t participate in spring reps due to a foot surgery but has returned to the fall camp.

Should the Gators need to worry? Well, Banks’ explosive performance against LSU and the Ole Miss Rebels surely grabbed eyeballs, earning him the SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week last season. Moreover, he stacked impressive stats, coming up with 21 tackles, out of which 10 were solo, 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a recovered fumble in a span of 12 games.

Well, obviously, the Gators’ roster seems delicate presently, with all the injuries sustained. On the offense, redshirt sophomores Eugene Wilson III and Aidan Mizell missed a week of practice but are now back on the turf. Sophomore Edge LJ McCray and wideout Dallas Wilson have sustained lower-body injuries and are on a week-to-week basis. Then there is senior receiver Kahleil Jackson, who did not join in the position drills, even though he was no longer wearing a non-contact jersey. But he went outside the indoor practice facility to work with the trainers. Moving on to the safeties, Aaron Gates and Dallas Stubbs, although present, did not appear to participate in the position drills.

And much to the Gators’ woe, this isn’t the end of the injury list. During Thursday’s viewing period, a couple more players were out due to injuries. Starting off with running back Treyaun Webb, who’s got a hamstring injury, and then Dallas Wilson, who has sustained a lower-body injury. Next comes Kahleil Jackson, whom we talked about earlier, and Jameer Grimsley, who has a knee injury. Meanwhile, Enoch Wangoy’s injury is undisclosed. Given the mounting injury updates every now and then, some Gators fans are not merry at all.

Gators’ faithful upset with Billy Napier & Co.

“I like where we are. The majority of the guys were at full participation,” Billy Napier declared last week on completing six practices. At the Gators’ first scrimmage, the roster was able to run through 100 plays with optimism peaking through Napier’s words. But apparently, some fans are not thrilled with the head coach steering the practices right now. They seem to be nitpicking every injury report and questioning the coaching staff over the roster’s injury status.

“Notice every injury is so called “Minor”…S&C not it here,” one user wrote. While another user questioned, “What’s up with all the lower leg injuries? Yeah, we just discussed about four such players who sustained lower-leg injuries. Meanwhile, a user took a biting jab at the strength and conditioning program. “Loser strength & conditioning.” Nobody likes to see additions to the injury report, especially when you’re weeks away from the start of the season. The Gators had an iffy start to their season last year, and if they have to avoid that, a healthy roster is a must. That starts with their guy under the center.

Another fan mulled over… No, rather, he seemed to firmly state that, “There’s an issue with our training staff.” Well, the head coach seems thrilled with his roster’s comeback presently. Billy Napier can talk his talk, but fans are dissecting every injury update, are no more buying the ‘minor-injury’ tag, and are questioning the strength conditioning program.