Shemar James out for rest of season

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida sophomore linebacker Shemar James underwent surgery to address a dislocated left kneecap on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the 2023 season, Gators head coach Billy Napier shared with reporters.

News of James' knee injury first surfaced during pre-game warmups before Florida's Saturday matchup with No. 1 Georgia. James exited the game in the second half after aggravating the hurt.

"He's done. He had surgery today and he's out," Napier said on Wednesday. "So, he'll be back for spring practice. This will be about a four-month deal. Ultimately, it's much like a shoulder dislocation, it's a kneecap dislocation."

Napier noted that James dealt with the same injury during his high school career. James hurt the same knee during Florida's 2023 fall training camp but did not miss any games.

"Everything went well with the surgery," Napier added. "It won't be a major factor long-term for him."

James, who starts alongside redshirt sophomore Scooby Williams in the middle of Florida's defense, leads the team in total tackles this season with 55 through Week 9. He's also collected one sack and 5.5 tackles for loss.

In his near-two-year career, James has compiled 102 total tackles including 7.5 for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.

In James' place, redshirt junior Mannie Nunnery, freshman Jaden Robinson and junior Derek Wingo are listed as co-starters on Florida's Week 10 depth chart. The trio has combined for 19 total tackles this season, including 1.5 sacks from Wingo.

However, redshirt senior Teradja Mitchell has rotated into the second level of the Gators' defense more often than either of those players with 110 snaps logged this season, which suggests his role could also be elevated in the absence of James.

Mitchell has produced 14 tackles of his own this year, after transferring to Florida from Ohio State during the offseason.

"It presents a great opportunity for those other three guys, and they've all had great weeks," Napier suggested. "We'll lean on Scooby and Teradja to go along with that leadership, communication component."

The James-less Florida defense will first be tested against Arkansas, which fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos and replaced him with wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton during the program's Week 9 bye, on Saturday at noon ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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