Update: Gators’ Humphries undecided on future

Updated on Thursday at 10:40 a.m.

On Wednesday night, Zach Abolverdi of The Gainesville Sun reported that Florida Gators junior left tackle D.J. Humphries would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.

Thursday morning, Humphries vehemently denied the Sun‘s report, insisting via his Twitter account that he has not yet made a decision about his future.

“I have NOT made my decision on leaving for the NFL … Careful what you read . . . Thanks a lot Gainesville Sun!!” wrote Humphries.

Humphries, should he eventually declare, would be the fourth Gators underclassmen to leave for the draft. Juniors defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. and running back Matt Jones and redshirt junior offensive linemen Tyler Moore are Florida players that have already decided to the program before their eligibility has expired.

Humphries still has a decision to make, as do juniors defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard and linebacker Antonio Morrison, who planned to submit their paperwork to the NFL to gauge their draft stock before making decisions.

Former Florida head coach Will Muschamp repeated throughout his tenure that he would advise players to stay in school unless they were projected to be selected in the first round of the draft. Only Fowler holds such a projection heading into the 2015 draft this spring.

The No. 2 overall prospect coming out of high school in 2012, Humphries was named UF’s permanent starter at left tackle in 2013 but only played the first seven games of the season as a knee injury derailed his campaign. He returned to that role in 2014 and steadily improved throughout this past season after rehabilitating from a high-ankle sprain that cost him two games.

If Humphries joins Moore in not returning to school, the Gators will only have eight scholarship linemen returning in 2015 as both Nolan Kelleher (back) and Drew Sarvary (post-concussion issues) are retiring from the sport due to injuries.

Redshirt senior-to-be Trip Thurman, redshirt sophomore-to-be Roderick Johnson and sophomore-to-be David Sharpe would be the leaders of the unit next season.

OnlyGators.com has reached out to the school for confirmation on Humphries’s decision. Florida has yet to officially acknowledge any draft declarations as of press time.