One of the top offensive guard prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft is expected to miss at least two games to start the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Florida fifth-year senior Jon Halapio hasn't participated in fall camp at all and isn't going to begin his season until Sept. 21 against Southeastern Conference Eastern Division rival Tennessee.
UF has an idle date between Miami and its Sept. 21 date with the Volunteers, which may allow the Gators coaching staff a better chance to re-establish chemistry with Halapio's return going into its SEC opener. Halapio (6-foot-3, 321 pounds) was named preseason second-team All-SEC in a vote of the league's coaches. Halapio's injury has been evaluated each Friday since UF's camp opened, and each time the results have kept him off the practice field.
If indeed Halapio makes his season debut against Tennessee, he'll immediately be faced with a head-to-head matchup with a strong NFL prospect: UT defensive tackle Daniel McCullers, who ranks among the nation's top five seniors, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt. If Halapio does his part to handle McCullers effectively, consider his injury recovered in full.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
