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Florida loses leading tackler Ventrell Miller for the regular season

 Chris Lee   in Football

The Gator linebacker led the team in tackles last season. 

Ventrell Miller photo courtesy of Florida athletics.

Florida will be without linebacker Ventrell Miller for the Alabama game, and well beyond.

Miller, who's played 38 games for the Gators, had surgery on Monday to repair a torn biceps tendon, which he tore in the Gators' 42-20 win over South Florida last Saturday. He's expected to miss the rest of the regular season, though a bowl game could be a possibility. 

This week's team-issued depth chart lists Mohamoud Diabate as Miller's backup. DIabate has appeared in 27 games as a Gator, making 97 tackles with six sacks and 11.5 stops for loss, an interception and three forced fumbles. He's got four solo tackles and six assists this season. 

Miller started 10 of Florida's 11 games last year and led the team in tackles. He also led the Gators in tackles (two solo, five assists) in their opening-day win over FAU. 

Miller has contributed at Florida since hitting the playing field in 2018, playing all 13 games that year. He started 11 of 12 games as a sophomore, finishing second on the team with 55 tackles. He's racked up 166 career tackles, with 7 1/5 sacks and an interception.  

The Gators are 14.5-point home underdogs on Saturday.