GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida was hampered severely in the 2017 season by the pre-season suspensions of nine players who were involved in a credit card fraud scheme that triggered felony charges for all of them.

Seven of the nine players have agreed to pre-trial interventions that would allow them to have their charges dismissed if they meet all the conditions set out in the agreement.

Players agreed to those pre-trial interventions in early- to mid-November, one step toward potential reinstatement.

However, until the players go through the student judicial process, they can't return to the team. And it remains unclear if any or all of the players will be allowed back or if the cases could be handled individually by the University Athletic Association, which could impact a potential return for repeat offenders.

Star receiver Antonio Callaway and talented running back Jordan Scarlett both fall into the latter category, and both are eligible to enter the NFL Draft should they so choose.

Athletics director Scott Stricklin indicated that he will be involved in the decision-making process on whether the players return.

"I’ll be a part of the conversation," Stricklin said Monday. "They have the judicial thing going through on campus. I’ll be a part of that conversation. Dan (Mullen), it’s kind of been dropped in his lap. We’ll work well together on this."

The return of some of those players could alleviate some issues on the depth chart.

Two freshman linebackers, Ventrell Miller and James Houston, were among the suspended players and Florida found itself thin on depth and talent at that position during the 2017 season. The return of either would greatly bolster the outlook there, particularly if Mullen decides to implement the 3-4 system that Mississippi State defensive coordinator Todd Gratham ran with the Bulldogs in 2017.

Miller, though, is also a repeat offender after getting in trouble for marijuana possession before the season began.

The others suspended include receiver Rick Wells, offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort and defensive linemen Keivonnis Davis, Jordan Smith and Richerd Desir-Jones.

Telfort and Smith were not offered pre-trial interventions due to the severity of their involvement and both still face felony charges.

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