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Florida coach Jim McElwain told reporters Wednesday that injured safety Keanu Neal returned to practice with the Gators, but only upgraded his condition for the Gators' Saturday meeting with East Carolina from "doubtful" to "questionable."
McElwain had previously said on an SEC teleconference that he was "optimistic" about Neal's status.
For his own part, Neal had tweeted messages suggesting he is likely to play:
@ElamVsElo I better..! I'll know tomorrow
— Keanu Neal (@Keanu_Neal) September 8, 2015
Neal's only tweet on Wednesday, a day after his conversation with former Florida safety Matt Elam, was a simple one:
☺️
— Keanu Neal (@Keanu_Neal) September 9, 2015
As for other injuries, McElwain also added that injured offensive tackle Martez Ivey "is probably a week away," though he may yet return to practice this week, and continued to cast doubt on Matt Rolin, saying "I don't know what (his status) is; he's got something every day."