Dallas Wilson injury update: Jon Sumrall reveals significant change in Florida WR's status

Florida head coach Jon Sumrall revealed good news on Tuesday. Sophomore wide receiver Dallas Wilson is out of his boot heading into Spring camp.

As a freshman last season, Wilson hauled in 12 receptions for 174 yards and three touchdowns in just four games. He, however, suffered a season-ending injury in Florida‘s 24-20 loss to No. 5 Georgia on Nov. 1. He returned to the program in the midst of the coaching change and seems to be primed for a large role on Florida‘s offense this season.

“He’s out of the boot,” Sumrall revealed during a media opportunity. “Boot’s off. Return to play and running program will really start this week. What does that mean for his availability for Spring? I’d have to lean on (Senior Director of Sports Health and Performance) Paul Silvestri and that gang down there that does a great job. Like I said at the start of Spring with him, if we had a game, he’d be practicing right now.

“That’s out of an abundance of caution for him. I want to see him play football games in the season. We’re going to do everything we can to get him fully right. I’m not rushing him. I’ve got a pretty good pulse of what kind of player he can be. Does he need the practice reps and the work? Yes. Does he need to get healthy more? Yes. So, I want to be smart, tough, and not dumb tough there.”

Florida heading into first season of Jon Sumrall era

Jon Sumrall is a proven winner, boasting a 43-12 record across four seasons of head coaching experience (two at Troy, last two at Tulane). This past season, Sumrall’s Green Wave made an appearance in the College Football Playoff, something Florida has yet to do in its 12-year history of the Playoff.

During the Feb. 4 edition of ‘The Triple Option‘ podcast, legendary former Florida head coach Urban Meyer gave Sumrall his stamp of approval. Meyer, who was in attendance at Sumrall’s introductory press conference, led the Gators to a 65-15 record and two National Championships across six seasons (2005-2010).

“You watch out for Florida man,” Meyer told co-host Mark Ingram. “I’m buying that stock right now. I’m buying it. That Swamp is gonna be like a jet engine, like it used to be.”

Under Sumrall, Florida is seeking its first 10-win campaign since 2019 next season. The Gators won at least 10 games in seven of 14 seasons from 2006-2019, but have failed to do so in six consecutive seasons. Their best season in that span came in 2020, when they finished with an 8-4 record and fell to Alabama 52-46 in the SEC Championship Game.