Eugene Wilson Injury Update: Florida Gators WR out after surgery
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators star receiver Eugene Wilson III was ruled out Wednesday for the Mississippi State game. Now we know why.
Wilson had minor surgery this week, Gators Online first reported on Thursday. More details on his knee injury and surgery can be found here.
“He got hurt during the (Samford) game,” UF coach Billy Napier said on Wednesday night. “When that happened, I think he woke up the next day, and I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of what it is and all that. So, all good.”
Wilson missed practice last week but did participate on Thursday. He went through pregame warmups against Texas A&M but was ruled out as a game-time decision.
Wilson currently leads the Gators with 13 receptions for 191 yards and ranks sixth nationally with 185 yards after the catch. He paced the team with a career-high 141 yards on six catches in the Week 2 win over Samford, including an 85-yard touchdown.
“I happened to see a little opening. Seen it out of the corner of my eye, I would be able to hit a little stick,” Wilson said of the play. “With that distance between us two, I would be able to hit that second gear, and that’s what happened.”
His score was Florida’s longest since Mark Thompson’s 85-yarder vs. Iowa in 2017. It marked his first-career 100-yard receiving game and 136 of his 141 yards came after the catch. It was the ninth time in the last 10 games that Wilson caught at least six passes.
Since Week 4 vs. Vandy in 2023, Wilson is averaging 6.9 catches and 69.4 YPG with seven TDs (10 games). In his last eight games, he has produced 561 yards on 54 catches including six TDs.
Eugene Wilson III as a true freshman
Wilson led all FBS true freshmen in receptions per game (6.1) in 2023 while ranking second in catches (61), tied-second in receiving TDs (six), fourth in receiving YPG (53.8) and seventh in receiving yards (538). He was the first Florida true freshman to eclipse 500 receiving yards since Antonio Callaway in 2015.
Wilson set a UF freshman record last season with a career-high 11 receptions against Georgia. In Week 10 vs. Arkansas, he also became the first true freshman receiver at Florida to record multiple touchdowns in a contest since Riley Cooper recorded three in 2006 against Western Carolina.
Wilson was named an On3 True Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC. He also earned Freshman All-American honors from FWAA and 247Sports.
![Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) hauls in a pass while taking balls from a throwing machine during University of Florida Gators’ Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 28, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/08/01212103/Untitled-design-80.png)
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/18141240/Untitled-design-72-2.png)
