Billy Napier provides timeline for Keon Zipperer injury following surgery

Coming off the team’s first scrimmage of the spring, Florida coach Billy Napier confirmed a Keon Zipperer injury that will keep the veteran tight end out for a while, though just how long Napier didn’t specify.

The veteran tight end suffered a knee injury in spring ball and will be out indefinitely.

“Zipperer has a knee injury and he’s had the surgery, and it’ll be a significant amount of time for him to return to play,” Napier said at the conclusion of his press conference with the local media on Tuesday evening.

Prior to his injury, Keon Zipperer was one of the few veterans in the group at the tight end position.

He started six games at tight end for Florida in 2022, trading time with some of the other tight ends in the unit. He finished his season with 13 catches for 177 yards and a touchdown.

But his experience is extensive; Zipperer has appeared in 39 career games.

In four years with the Gators, Zipperer has logged 38 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns. He was going to be counted on as one of the veterans in the unit, but now it’s unclear if he’ll be ready in time to play this season.

When Zipperer suffered the injury, he wrote “2024 shake back year…” on his Facebook account, suggesting that perhaps he will not be able to return this fall.

Napier had clarified the tight end’s status shortly after, when speculation surrounding the post picked up online in social media circles.

“I don’t know how that got blown up. That’s wild,” Napier said on Nov. 3 of Zipperer’s Facebook post. “Keon’s got a little bit of a knee, nothing long-term there. It’s pretty much to-be-determined based off of his rehab and recovery right now. We aren’t expecting him to be available this weekend, but long term no issue there.”

Florida will likely lean on fellow veteran Dante Zanders at the tight end position with the Keon Zipperer injury keeping him out.

The Gators aren’t shy on bodies at the position after loading up in Napier’s inaugural class. The current head coach likes to run two tight end sets on offense, but so far Florida has struggled to have enough capable tight ends to do that routinely.

Along with Zanders, the Gators have five more scholarship players at the position in Jonathan Odom, Arlis Boardingham, Hayden Hansen, Tony Livingston and converted DL Andrew Savaiinaea. It’s a young group that has some potential but not a whole lot of experience currently.