Florida senior safety Marcus Maye suffered a broken arm during the first half of Saturday’s win against South Carolina, officially ending his collegiate career.
He is the latest of a rash of injuries suffered by Florida in the last couple weeks.
“Marcus will be done obviously,” Florida coach Jim McElwain said. “I just feel horrible, but he’s done so much. His draft stock looking down the road has risen drastically because of how he’s played. So this won’t have any bearing on it. He’s got a broken something in his arm, so he put a cast on it and get back after it, right? So he’ll be fine long-term, and he’s a guy that’ll be there every step of the way just like Alex (Anzalone) was this week.”
Maye is considered a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft after turning down a chance to leave early last year and bettering his stock in his nine contests this season.
The Gators have lost nine starters in the last two weeks, including four against the Gamecocks. Defensive end Bryan Cox Jr., center Tyler Jordan and left tackle David Sharpe also were injured during the game, did not return and might not be ready for next week’s important contest against LSU. Coming into the game, Florida already had lost linebackers Alex Anzalone (broken arm) and Jarrad Davis (ankle), center Cameron Dillard (knee), defensive end CeCe Jefferson (foot) and quarterback Luke Del Rio (shoulder).
“You’ve got guys dropping left and right and new guys going in there,” McElwain said following the game. “I think we sold some extra programs because (fans) didn’t know the numbers that were in there. Our new athletic director will be excited about that. It’ll help the budget.”
In nine games, Maye had 50 tackles, an interception, six pass breakups and a sack. A year ago, Maye forced an SEC-high five fumbles.
Florida will have to continue to employ the next-man-up mentality as it tries to beat LSU next week to secure an SEC East Division title. If the Gators lose, they would finish with a 5-3 conference record, which would open the door for Tennessee to grab the East crown. The Vols are 3-3 with games against Vanderbilt and Missouri, the East’s two worst teams, remaining. If the Vols win those games, they would also be 5-3 in the conference, but would hold the head-to-head advantage after beating Florida earlier in the season.
More college football from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
