Florida quarterback depth takes untimely hit with Jack Miller III out indefinitely, per reports

By OnlyGators.com Staff
August 19, 2022
Florida quarterback depth takes untimely hit with Jack Miller III out indefinitely, per reports
Football

Image Credit: Jordan McKendrick, UAA

It appeared as if the Florida Gators were going to be relatively healthy entering the 2022 college football season. Instead, with just over two weeks until kickoff, the team will be scrambling to find a backup at a key position as redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Miller III has reportedly been ruled out indefinitely following thumb surgery.

Miller, a key offseason transfer from Ohio State entering his first year at Florida, recently had surgery on his right thumb, according to multiple reports. He was expected to be the primary backup to sophomore starter Anthony Richardson, but the Gators will now need to fill that role at least for the first few weeks of the season.

Head coach Billy Napier said earlier this month that he was “very pleased” with Miller’s work on the field. “Jack’s very capable, and I would say this going all the way back to spring: He’s moved our team.”

Napier’s next local media availability is Sunday following a scheduled Saturday scrimmage. Florida also scrimmaged last Saturday with Napier noting the Gators left the weekend relatively unscathed. It’s unknown when Miller’s thumb injury occurred, though there will be a hole on the depth chart with the former four-star prospect missing behind Richardson.

Redshirt freshman Jalen Kitna is the most likely candidate to replace Miller as primary backup, though he has missed numerous practices dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury. True freshman Max Brown — a former three-star prospect ranked 1,558th in the 247Sports Composite — would likely be next in line with redshirt sophomores Kyle Engel and Jack Anders, both walk-ons, the only other signal callers on the roster.

Napier recently praised Kitna for “throwing the ball much more consistently, much more accurately” with a better grasp on the position overall. “Kitna is the player that I probably saw the most growth in … fundamentally,” he said.

The Orlando Sentinel‘s Edgar Thompson first reported Miller’s injury.

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