GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida center Micah Handlogten, who gruesomely broke his left leg in the Southeastern Conference championship game last month, is planning to take a medical redshirt next season and work toward returning to the court and becoming “an absolute monster” in the fall of 2025.

Coach Todd Golden said the decision, which he and Handlogten made during a recent conversation, gives the 7-foot-1 sophomore time to make a full recovery.

“Now he can just pour all his efforts into his rehab and not feel the pressure of ‘I need to try to get back on the court by November,’” Golden said Friday. “My hope is now — obviously not next year but the year after — he should be an absolute monster as he comes back fully healthy with a lot of confidence on the leg.

“His recovery is going as well as it could. His mentality has been amazing. I’m really proud of him and the way he’s gone about it, so he’ll be back.”