SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- Doctors expect Indiana wide receiver Isaac Griffith to make a full recovery from a near downing along Florida's Gulf Coast, a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday.

Griffith was brought out of heavy sedation and was awake, breathing on his own and responding well to others on Thursday, Sarasota Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Kim Savage said. His condition has been upgraded to serious.

A friend rescued the 19-year-old Griffith after he was caught in a rip current Monday at Siesta Beach in Sarasota.

''The biggest issue right now is monitoring and treating him for pneumonia and damage to his lungs,'' Savage said.

Griffith could be moved from the hospital's critical care unit by Friday and discharged ''in the coming days,'' she said.

Savage also released a statement from the player's father, Shannon Griffith, who along with his wife, Kim, has been at their son's bedside since shortly after the accident.

''This is everything we hoped and prayed for,'' Shannon Griffith said.

The friend who saved Griffith, Mitch McCune, said he pulled the player to shore and performed CPR on him until emergency personnel arrived on the scene.

Griffith was a redshirt freshman at Indiana this past season after being a standout at Homestead High School near Fort Wayne, Ind.