Florida will welcome back one of its best players when senior linebacker Antonio Morrison takes to the field for Saturday evening’s season opener against visiting New Mexico State.

Morrison’s status had been unclear in recent weeks as he continued to mend from two offseason surgeries to repair the knee he injured during the Birmingham Bowl win over East Carolina. But last year’s second-team All-SEC pick was listed as the Gators starting middle linebacker in the two-deep released by the school on Monday.

Coach Jim McElwain confirmed in Monday’s press conference that Morrison would play, albeit on a limited basis.

“It won’t be 80 to 90 plays,” McElwain said. “He’s ready to play and we’ll have a plan for this.”

Morrison, who paced the team with 101 tackles last year, had impressed coaches with his recovery in recent weeks, but his return to the field remained unclear as he was prohibited from contact through preseason camp.

Morrison’s return to the lineup allows junior Alex Anzalone Jr. to move back to the weakside linebacker spot, with junior Jarrad Davis left to man the strongside linebacker position. The surprise news will further strengthen what is expected to be an elite Gators defense that will likely have to shoulder the load early on as the Florida offense gets up to speed.

Florida will need Morrison back at full speed by the time it hits the meat of the schedule in October.

McElwain called Morrison’s rapid recovery “unbelievable.”

“What was normally a 10- to 12-month recovery he did in six months,” the coach said. “I couldn’t be prouder of him and what he did in the offseason to help this football team.”

In other news to come from the press conference:

  • McElwain said he and his staff ironing out the details of how they will play both quarterbacks Will Grier and Treon Harris this week. McElwain has insisted from the outset that he wants to see how both players react under the lights, how they move the offense and how their teammates respond to them.
  • McElwain hinted that there’s a chance that true freshman offensive tackle Martez Ivey could play this week as well despite recently undergoing arthroscopic surgery to correct an injury he first suffered in high school. Ivey, a former five-star recruit, was working with the first-team offense when he underwent the procedure. McElwain said he will address Ivey’s status on Wednesday. Neither Ivey or free safety Keanu Neal will practice today, but both could play on Saturday.
  • McElwain said he plans to play three or four tailbacks on Saturday and as many as nine different receivers.
  • Seven true freshmen were listed in Florida’s two-deep.