Billy Napier provides timetable for Jack Miller's return

Florida quarterback Jack Miller is nearing a return to injury, according to Gators head coach Billy Napier. Miller, who suffered an injury to a ligament in his thumb which required surgery during fall camp, could be back as early as next week if everything goes as planned.

“He’s not quite ready,” Napier said. “I think that these things are a little – when we say those things early – they are at a subjective opinion. But, you know, Drew Brees, it the same injury that Drew had and that was kind of the timetable. I don’t know that he’s made as much progress as quick as maybe Drew Brees did, but he is definitely improving and we anticipate getting him back and at some point, we’ll reevaluate that. I’ll be able to give him more feedback next week.”

Napier has previously compared Miller’s injury to the one that former NFL star Drew Brees suffered back in 2019, commonly known as “skier’s thumb.” The typical timetable for recovery following surgery is 5-6 weeks, and since Miller had surgery in mid-August, that puts his return timeline around Week 3 or Week 4, though he won’t be suited up this Saturday against South Florida.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Miller began his collegiate career at Ohio State as part of the 2020 recruiting class. He was rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 26 quarterback in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

During the spring game, prior to his injury, the former Buckeye went 13-of-23 for 121 yards and one interception.

The Gators will hope that Miller can get back as early as possible, as if anything happened to star QB1 Anthony Richardson, the load will be placed on the Buckeyes transfer to lead the Gators. If not, redshirt freshman Jalen Kitna, true freshman Max Brown would get their numbers called.