Florida Edge LJ McCray to Undergo Surgery on Foot
Florida football sophomore edge LJ McCray will undergo surgery for a broken right foot, coach Billy Napier said during his press conference Monday. There is no guaranteed timeline for his return.
This news comes after a disappointing 18-16 loss to now-No. 18 USF Saturday.
BREAKING: Florida sophomore EDGE LJ McCray will undergo surgery for a right foot injury, @Swamp_247 has learned.
READ: https://t.co/jaflsyVOKy pic.twitter.com/MREMbmprDB
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) September 8, 2025
McCray spent his offseason gaining muscle in Florida’s training program, as he now weighs 268 pounds. However, he suffered a lower-body injury during fall camp that kept him from practicing. He was labeled as “week-to-week” with a non-major injury.
McCray did not see action in Florida’s season opener against LIU. On Saturday, he recorded just one quarterback hurry before exiting in the second half due to the injury.
The edge rusher played in all 13 games of his freshman campaign, recording 13 total tackles, three solo tackles and one tackle for loss. He also had half of a sack and five QB hurries.
Per SEC regulations, for the first time this season, Florida will release a full injury report Wednesday evening in anticipation of the start of conference play.
McCray will be present on the list, and his departure presents other contributors the opportunity to be the next-man-up in a room full of talent.
The Gators will be led by redshirt senior defensive lineman Tyreek Sapp, who recorded five total tackles against USF with two for loss and one sack. He has 97 career tackles in 39 games.
Fellow redshirt senior George Gumbs Jr. continues to be a leader in this position with five total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack. He put up 35 tackles and five sacks in 2024, his first season at Florida after transferring from Northern Illinois.
Kamran James, a junior edge, also has five total tackles and half a sack this season.
With Florida primarily using a rotation at edge rusher, the question is: Who will be the fourth man?
Freshman Jayden Woods had high expectations during the offseason. The former four-star recruit appeared in both games and recorded three total tackles. He had one solo tackle against LIU and one QB hurry against USF.
“He’ll be a rotational player,” Napier said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. And he’s a true freshman, so I think he’ll get better each week the more comfortable he gets on gameday with the routine, how to prepare for a game. He’s a mature kid, and he’s certainly capable of making a difference on our team.”
Redshirt freshman edge Titus Bullard had one solo tackle against LIU, as did UMass transfer Kofi Asare. The redshirt junior only played 12 snaps against the Bulls and assisted in one tackle.
It’s a waiting game, as Florida prepares for its first road test against No. 3 LSU in Baton Rouge Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ABC and 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football
