Florida freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson had been enjoying an outstanding training camp, getting lots of work with the starters. From all indications, he appeared to be in line to earn a starting gig in UF’s offense.
Wilson still might end up starting vs. Long Island in the Gators’ opener on Aug. 30, but it’s less likely after reports surfaced Wednesday that he’s going to be out for a couple of weeks due to a lower left leg injury.
In fact, according to a report from GatorCountry’s Nick Marcinko, Wilson is in a hard cast below the knee
Wilson originally signed with Oregon, but the Tampa Bay Tech High School product flipped to Florida in January. In 30 career varsity games at the prep level, he hauled in 130 receptions for 2,424 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Per the 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound wideout was a four-star prospect ranked as the nation’s #35 overall player, the #8 WR and the #4 prospect in the state of Florida.
“Yeah, Dallas’s recruitment was really unique. I think his family dynamic with his mother and his grandmother — and Dallas actually contacted us. I think he asked out of his national letter and then contacted us. We recruited Dallas ever since we knew he was a really good player. But, look, Dallas is going to make our team better,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said of Wilson at SEC Media Days last month.
Wilson enrolled early and made a quick impression on his teammates and the UF fan base. In the annual Orange and Blue game to conclude spring practice in April, Wilson delighted fans at The Swamp with 10 receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
Wilson’s 10 catches set a program record for the exhibition and the 195 receiving yards tied a program record. And remember, those numbers came as part of backup quarterback Harrison Bailey’s 363 yards passing. Star QB DJ Lagway didn’t throw at all in the spring.
Unfortunately for the Gators, Wilson’s injury isn’t the only one at the WR position early in camp. Eugene ‘Tre’ Wilson, who is a preseason third-team All-SEC selection in Phil Steele’s magazine, hasn’t practiced this week due to an undisclosed injury.
WRs Aidan Mizell and Muizz Tounkara have both missed a few practices, too, but they were reportedly on the field Wednesday in non-contact jerseys.
That’s allowed for UCLA senior four-star transfer WR J. Michael Sturdivant and true freshman Vernell Brown III, who was UF’s only five-star signee in the 2025 class, to get valuable reps.
Although Lagway still hasn’t been a full participant in camp yet due to a minor calf injury sustained two weeks ago during a team run, he has been spotted throwing beautiful balls during the portion of practices when the media is given availability. (See another one of those throws here.)
I have UF at #10 in my Preseason Power Rankings. In my analysis of the Gators on Aug. 4, I mentioned that Wilson should be considered if bettors are able to find a betting market to win Freshman of the Year honors at some point this month.
And despite this development, I still think that’s a good idea, especially if the odds (if they are posted by a betting shop this month) become more generous due to this injury.
The good news is that Florida opens against an FCS foe in Long Island on Aug. 30 in Gainesville. If Wilson isn’t ready by then, it would be ideal for him to return for a Week 2 home game vs. South Florida.
The brutal portion of the Gators’ daunting 2025 schedule starts with road assignments at LSU and at Miami in Weeks 3 and 4, respectively.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
-You can read my entire preview on the 2025 Florida Gators here.
-Florida backup RB Treyaun Webb had surgery on his injured hamstring on Monday. He’s expected to miss at least the Gators’ first two games. As a true freshman in 2024, Webb had 93 rushing yards and one TD on 21 attempts for a 4.4 yards-per-carry average.
–Here’s my Week Zero preview and prediction for Kansas St. vs. Iowa St. in Dublin, Ireland, where toe will meet leather in 16 days.
–I explained my pick for Toledo at Kentucky in this Week 1 preview. Most books have moved the Wildcats to -9.5, but gamblers can still take the Rockets at +10 at both Circa and South Point in Las Vegas.
–You can follow me on Twitter here for more sports betting opinions.