Defensive tackle Elijah Conliffe, who has not played since the 2018 season, has received a medical exemption.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A foot injury that ended Gators defensive tackle
Elijah Conliffe's 2019 season before it started has now ended his career.
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Elijah Conliffe
A fourth-year junior who redshirted last season after suffering a right foot injury prior to the season opener that required surgery, the Gators confirmed Tuesday that Conliffe has received a medical exemption. Conliffe, who played in 19 games over the 2017-18 seasons after signing with Florida out of Hampton (Va.) High, remains on scholarship but does not count toward the NCAA's 85-scholarship limit.
Conliffe remained optimistic he would recover according to a post on his Instagram account in September 2019 that showed him in a surgical gown and medical cap prior to surgery. However, the 6-foot-4, 317-pound Conliffe finishes his UF career with 15 career tackles, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery. He played in eight games as a freshman in 2017 and 11 games as a sophomore, recovering a fumble in Florida's 48-10 win over Colorado State in
Dan Mullen's third game as the Gators' head coach. Mullen acknowledged Conliffe would miss the 2019 season the week of the season opener against Miami last August.
If healthy in 2020, Conliffe figured to be in the mix for playing time on the interior defensive line with a group of veterans that include
Marlon Dunlap,
Tedarrell Slaton and
Kyree Campbell, plus newcomers
Gervon Dexter, Lamar Goods and
Jalen Lee.
Meanwhile, the Gators continue to prepare for the start of preseason camp Aug. 7 during the second phase of the return plan currently in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, Mullen and his staff began a two-week period (July 24 to Aug. 6) of being permitted to conduct walkthroughs and up to 20 hours of football activities per week.
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