Outside of pride, there isn't much left to play for this season for the Florida Gators. At 3-7, Florida is officially out of bowl contention for the second time in the last three seasons.
But that isn't stopping one key member of the defense from trying to suit up and come back for this Saturday's game against Tennessee.
Caleb Banks might return against Tennessee
Caleb Banks has been out since the Week 3 loss to LSU. 2025 has been a cruel season for Banks, who missed the first two games of the season, came back against LSU, and injured his foot and had to have surgery.
It was notable last week when Banks was moved from "Out" to "Doubtful" on the injury report ahead of the Ole Miss game. Banks wound up not playing on Saturday, but it indicated he was getting close to making a return before the season's end.
Billy Gonzales was asked about the status of Banks during his press conference on Monday and hinted there is a good chance Banks suits up this Saturday against Tennessee:
"He's been cleared, so the return to play aspect of it is going to be based on his body and how he performs this week in practice."
Gonzales would go on to say that Banks wants to play and that he did take reps in practice last week.
Banks came into the season with high hopes of boosting his draft stock into a potential 1st round pick. After transferring from Louisville, Banks was a mainstay on the defensive line in 2023 and 2024.
When Florida pulled off its back-to-back upsets last season against LSU and Ole Miss, Banks was as important a player as anyone in those two wins. He had nine QB pressures against LSU and six against Ole Miss. He also forced a fumble in the win over LSU.
As much as anything, Banks could really use a strong showing in these final two games to help rekindle his NFL stock. And if we get the Banks we saw to close out 2024, it might just be enough to close 2025 on a high note.