Florida football honoring military with black jersey nameplates for Arkansas game
The Florida Gators are ditching their traditional threads this weekend as they’ll take on Arkansas this Saturday in some sharp black uniforms.
The Gators will be sporting black helmets, jerseys, and pants for an all-black look from top to bottom in the Swamp, with their social media team even getting in on the action with a black profile picture of their logo on the team’s Instagram and Twitter accounts.
The uniforms are also military-inspired, as the words Commitment, Courage, Excellence, Honor, or Integrity will be displayed on the backs of every player’s uniform to honor each branch of the military and first responders. Check out Florida’s uniforms for this Saturday below.
“In recognition of the teamwork spirit and the core values that characterize military members and first responders, each player’s nameplate on the back of their jersey will display one of five words that are synonymous with the principles embodied by those who serve. The five terms, which were selected by a representative of each branch of the military and first responders, are Commitment, Courage, Excellence, Honor and Integrity,” the Gators said via Twitter regarding their uniforms.
The uniforms this weekend will be worn as a part of the team’s ‘Saluting Those Who Serve’ game presented by VyStar Credit Union, with black jerseys available for purchase for fans.
The Gators will definitely look the part on Saturday, but hopefully they can play the part and bounce back from their 43-20 loss to rival Georgia last weekend. They face an Arkansas team that’s still seeking their first conference win of the season coming off of six straight losses, with the Gators leading the series 10-2 following their dominant 63-35 win over the Razorbacks in 2020.
Florida LB Shemar James ruled out for remainder of season after knee surgery
Florida will be without linebacker Shemar James for the rest of the season, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre. He’s dealing with a knee injury suffered during pregame warmups last week and underwent surgery.
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Billy Napier confirmed the injury on Wednesday, calling James’ injury a “dislocation of the kneecap” during his press conference. After going through surgery this week, James’ recovery will be approximately four months, according to Napier.
James has been a staple of the Florida defense this year, leading the Gators with 54 tackles while adding 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He played against Georgia despite the injury, totaling five tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss.
After appearing to slip during pregame warmups against Georgia, James came back out with a knee brace and looked shaken up once again during the third quarter. The condition of the field was a big topic of conversation throughout the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party game, and the city of Jacksonville released a statement on the matter later in the game.
“Our top Florida-Georgia game priority is the safety of players and fans,” the statement read. “The field at EverBank Stadium was resodded after the BCU-Southern game last weekend for the second time this year and in accordance with NFL standards. While the sod faced a week of warm Florida weather and was dry upon arrival, the field was tested and passed prior to the game and there is no safety issue for players. We stand by our experienced team of turf professionals who have prepared fields for games at all levels from college to the Super Bowl.”