GAINESVILLE, Fla. - University of Florida redshirt senior wide receiver Andre Debose (Sanford, Fla.) suffered a season-ending knee injury on Tuesday night. Debose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will need to undergo surgery, causing him to miss the Gators' 2013 campaign.
"I know that Andre is disappointed," head coach Will Muschamp said. "He had been doing very well in camp and we were more than pleased with his effort and attitude. Andre was hurt in a non-contact situation. He just planted his foot and there was a tear. He will have surgery after the swelling goes down. It is unfortunate and you feel bad anytime that someone is injured, and the coaching staff and our team will be very supportive in assisting Andre during his recovery."
Over his Gator career, Debose has appeared in 31 games and made eight starts. He has made 29 receptions for 543 yards and four touchdowns, along with 58 kick returns for 1,592 yards and a school-record four touchdowns in his career. Debose's total of four kickoff return touchdowns is tied for the SEC record with Brandon Boykin (Georgia), Willie Gault (Tennessee) and Felix Jones (Arkanasas). He currently holds the UF career record for kickoff return average with an average of 27.4 yards per return and ranks second in SEC history in career kickoff return average. Last season, Debose set the Gators' single-season record for kickoff return average (28.3 yards) and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Louisville in the Sugar Bowl, the longest return in the game's history.
