Florida lineman suffers serious non-contact injury, per report
Florida will deal with a notable absence on the offensive line when it enters spring practice. Kamryn Waites, entering Year 3 of his college football career, suffered a serious non-contact injury during offseason workouts.
Graham Hall of 247Sports reports that Waites tore his Achilles tendon Friday. Citing an anonymous source, Hall reports that Waites’ injury occurred during an agility drill.
Waites, a transfer who followed Billy Napier from Louisiana, played in all 13 games for the Gators in 2022. The 6-8, 373-pounder was primarily a special teams contributor until making his first-career start at right guard in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Gators will have a new-look offensive line in 2023 after seeing 4 starters depart via the NFL Draft and NCAA transfer portal. Waites was expected to be part of the new starting 5, but a timeline to return to the field isn’t immediately clear after the injury.
With Waites’ injury, Napier’s staff may look to the transfer portal for another experienced lineman. So far this offseason, the Gators have brought in transfer linemen Damieon George (Alabama) and Micah Mazzccua (Baylor).
BREAKING: Florida offensive lineman Kamryn Waites has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, sources told Swamp247. Huge bummer for a really promising player.https://t.co/BC7S2hXftT pic.twitter.com/Y7PwZgBhPD
— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) January 21, 2023
Sometimes you just can’t win for losing. That young man has a long surgery and rehab gauntlet ahead of him and the Gators will be one short at a position of need. Certainly not where we want to be heading into spring.
When it rains anymore, it pours. Feel bad for this young man first and foremost – it is indeed painful and a lengthy rehab – and for the Gator OL squad as well. Neither he nor the team needed this at this particular time.
That sucks for him really bad. Not to minimize the injury or what he is going to have to go through, but in a non-contact injury, that might mean it was already partially torn.
Again, not trying to minimize the injury, but the timing was probably good because it means that while he is recovering, others are getting more snaps and more development on the line and he will come back stronger and fresher.
I sincerely hope he has a speedy recovery and I hate it when any player gets injured especially during the offseason.
That’s a good possibility, considering that for players a sub-acute existing injury would not necessarily have a pain threshold anymore bothersome than soreness. Might have been ready to go for some time. On the other, hadn’t thought of that and it’s a good point for sure.
Dang, that is just terrible. Based upon size alone he sounded like an anchor for the O line potentially!!! I’m a Georgia fan but I still don’t like reading this….
You guys can’t buy a break right now! I don’t pretend to believe in Billy, but still. Y’all have huge disadvantages right now!!!!
I’m not happy to read things like this….
Billy better turn out to be a great coach. Just to overcome all this negativity!!! It’s year number 2 and often you know one way or the other in year #2!!!
Florida still gets really good athletes and should be much better if Napier is the right guy!!!!
PS. Anyway sad to read this. Get well soon!!!!
Negan
Agree with your assessment Negan, except for that bit about year 2. Based strictly on year 2 performances, Muschamp, McElwayne and Mullen would each still be coaching the Gators.
The real test for a college head coach comes in year 4, when ALL the excuses about what the last guy left behind are gone.
Had that injury myself, he has a tough 3 months ahead, should back to normal in 6 – 7 months, in time for the season.
Bill…….I man his size probably won’t be back in time to play in the SEC!!! If he had been healthy he could have been a monster!!!! Still his size will hold him back with this injury. Because you literally put strain on it just moving. Having to block SEC linemen and having to shift his weight in so many different directions. Trying to push on other 300+ pound strong guys. This will absolutely take much longer than 3 to 7 months in order to be RIGHT!!!!! Yes, he MIGHT play next season in and out. But to really be ready like he was. He’s probably looking at two years to truly get back!!!!!!!
It’s a mind deal. That will determine when he gets right and hopefully he doesn’t get injured again!!!! It can happen. Hopefully it won’t, sorry to read about this…
PS. Get well soon big man!!!
Negan
Billgator, without complications the 6-9 month window is about right. It’s not a matter of the gross weight bearing down on that anatomy, it’s a matter of the graduality of adhesion and repair of the insult. There can, however, be some other complications which color the outcome and timeline – in a youngster though in good shape and with good tone, you do not usually see these. He’ll know more at about the 3-month point.
That’s a shame. Best wishes to him for rehabbing. More reason to hit the portal and add to the OL. Not sure who’s left in the market, but the need is now greater.
The portal is now closed until May.
NCAA seems to constantly change portal rules, but my understanding is that it is currently closed for undergrad entry but players in the portal can still transfer. There have been some transfer commitment announcements (like Reynolds to Pitt) since the window closed Wednesday.
Correct Andrew. The portal is closed to new entrants. Those already in there can continue to look for new schools to transfer to, although very soon it will be to start in summer.
The problem for the Gators is they’ve already combed through all the OLs in the portal. There’s nobody left there that would interest them now.
Except for possibly their own guy, White. And that depends on what led him to put his name in the portal in the first place. It’s more than curious that he hasn’t found a new school to transfer to yet.
I’m also curious about what is going on with White. I would have thought that someone would have gotten him already, maybe he is holding out for an NIL deal?
Emilio, 247 has Florida #30 in portal acquisitions, which I’d reckon to be slightly above middle of the road. The problem is in my mind, as you note, at specific positions. Still, I think the OL will be up to snuff overall. As truth says, “we’ll see”. Or not.
GFA, I always thought White’s jump into the portal was NIL driven. Evidently, he’s since found out the Gator collectives were correctly compensating him, according to his middling starting OG performance and what the market will bear. Now, the time has come to decide whether to accept a move sideways to save face, or quietly return to the Gators, tail between his legs. Personally, if I were in Napier’s shoes, I wouldn’t take him back, just to drive home the point about team coming first. It’d be a powerful message, given the fact the roster can really use another OL now.
On the other hand, Tarquin found out he can get a better NIL deal as an OT if he’s willing to relocate to CA. Hopefully, he took the higher cost of living and higher taxes out there into account before signing.
Totally agree Neal. Besides, the portal is a tool good HS recruiters us to fill in occasional gaps created by injury, or by losses to the portal itself.
Smart and, to a lesser extent, Saban have demonstrated a good HS recruiting program doesn’t need much from the portal. I say Saban “to a lesser extent” because he’s made more use of the portal than Smart and, if you’ve noticed, it really hasn’t worked in the Tide’s favor, so far.
I can’t believe the DAWGS and gators let that Bama starter go to that other school. If we have to buy them. He was the man to buy!!!!
Georgia is still loaded thankfully. But you can never have too many big men in the SEC!!!! Sorry to read about this…
PS. Hope he gets back quickly!!!!
Negan
Bummer. Hope he has a full and speedy recovery!
Yes, I hope he heals quickly.
@ StL, i agree with you. If i were Napier and trying to change perception and team first mentality, then leave White in the space he chose to be in. It will pay forward what Billy is trying to change.
Hey Gator fans, speaking of O-linemen and the transfer portal, have any of you heard anything about Kentucky transfer Kiyaunta Goodwin? He has size, 6’8″/351, and was a 4/5 star from Charlestown IN (across the OH river from Louisville KY) who was suppose to be visiting UF this week, or perhaps within the last few days. He didn’t see much playing time at UK this past season as a true freshman and decided to put his name in the portal back in mid-December. Even though he was a 4/5 star, some UK fans say the level of competition in Indiana was less than what he was facing playing in Louisville, and therefore he was rated a little too high. There hasn’t been much that I can find on the free websites about what’s going on with him. Do you guys know anything? Yes, I’m hoping he returns to UK and really commits to making himself and NFL prospect.
Check 247, leading with him today on the Florida page.