Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Florida Gators football team suffered a heartbreaking loss to their elite defensive squad during Tuesday’s practice, with defensive tackle Dominique Easley tearing his ACL and meniscus.
This is a a serious injury for the Gators, as Easley is the leader of the second-ranked defense in the entire country. Not only is he the best defender on the Gators, he is one of the top overall players in all of college football.
At first, it was only thought that Easley tweaked his knee and that’s what was initially reported by Gator’s head coach Will Muschamp. But further testing and evaluating revealed the tear in the knee, and Easley’s season is over.
This isn’t the first time Easley has suffered a major injury during his time in college. He tore his ACL in the 2011 season as well, but returned and has played at a high level ever since.
Easley has been a force throughout his college career, and this season he has been playing at his highest level during his time in Gainesville. His constant production throughout college has caught the attention of NFL Draft scouts from all over.
Easley was widely considered to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft, and was considered to be the second-best defensive line prospect behind Jadeveon Clowney. It will be interesting to see if the injury scares some teams away or if someone still pursues him.
This is the second season-ending injury to a Gators starting player in less than a week. Starting quarterback Jeff Driskel broke his leg in Saturday’s game versus Tennessee and will miss the remainder of the season.
Erik Sargent is a college football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Erik_Sargent, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
