The Florida secondary was especially thin Friday morning as reporters noticed that several defensive backs were absent.

Nickelback John Huggins, who has missed time recently regarding a “family issue,” was not in attendance, and neither were safety Brad Stewart and backup cornerback C.J. McWilliams. Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel reported the news this morning.

Huggins has played himself into more playing time, and possibly a starting role, after he previously was expected to be a backup to Trey Dean. Huggins made a splash in the spring game with an interception returned for a touchdown.

Questions around the cornerback and secondary depth have come about after Chris Steele and Brian Edwards transferred in the offseason, and the possibility of Dean moving around the field came up.

The reasons for the absences weren’t immediately clear, and it was unknown whether coach Dan Mullen would address them when he next meets with reporters.