St. Thomas Aquinas alum Roberson out for remainder of season

Florida will play the rest of its season without its best cornerback.

Freshman Marcus Roberson suffered an injury to his neck during last week's loss to South Carolina and will miss the Gators' final two regular season games and the team's bowl game should they beat Furman on Saturday.

Florida coach Will Muschamp announced the news this morning at his weekly press conference, saying Roberson is still being evaluated. Muschamp classified the injury as a strain, and he said the medical staff is erring on the side of caution because of the seriousness of neck injuries.

"It's nothing that's going to be permanent," Muschamp said, adding that Roberson should "be fine" in 4 to 6 weeks. "He's going to be back for spring, but he will miss the rest of the season."

Sophomore Cody Riggs, also a graduate of Fort Lauderdale's St. Thomas Aquinas, will step back in to the starting lineup in Roberson's absence, Muschamp said. Riggs started the first seven games for Florida but was replaced by sophomore Jaylen Watkins against Georgia. Freshman Louchiez Purifoy and senior Moses Jenkins could also see playing time, with freshman safety De'Ante Saunders serving as an emergency option. 

Roberson started all of Florida's games this season, racking up 22 tackles, two pass break ups, a fumble recovery and an interception. Roberson and Saunders both started the season opener, becoming the first freshman duo to do so in school history.