Injured Dawson ‘highly questionable’

GAINESVILLE — UF cornerback Duke Dawson says he will play, but coach Jim McElwain is not so sure.

Dawson sustained a head injury during the weekend’s win against Tennessee, leading McElwain to call the fifth-year senior “highly questionable” for Saturday’s visit to Kentucky.

“We’ll see where that is as we go throughout the week,” McElwain said Monday.

Amid McElwain’s press conference, though, Dawson tweeted, “Everything is fine, I will be playing this upcoming Saturday against UK.”

Dawson’s absence would be a big loss for UF. He had a pick-six against Michigan and prevented a Tennessee touchdown with a goal-line interception.

If Dawson is out, the Gators will rely more on first-year freshmen CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson.

Henderson had a pick-six in each of UF’s first two games while Wilson totaled seven tackles and three pass break-ups against Tennessee.

Meanwhile, linebacker Kylan Johnson is likely to miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury.

Freshman receiver James Robinson’s first game for the Gators could be a long way off. McElwain said Robinson will see a specialist this week about a heart condition detected last month on an echocardiogram.

Vanderbilt’s Sept. 30 visit to the Swamp will be shown at noon on SEC Network.

Next game: No. 20 UF at Kentucky, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network