The University of Florida football team announced on Sunday that seven of its players will be suspended for the Sept. 2 game against Michigan for violating team rules.

The Gators' leading wide receiver, Antonio Callaway, tops the list of players who will miss the program's season opener (2017 AdvoCare Classic) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It's the first-ever regular season meeting between Florida and Michigan.

"We have a small group of players that have made some choices that are extremely disappointing. Action has been taken - they have missed some practice and will miss the Michigan game," said Gators head coach Jim McElwain. "We will use this as a learning opportunity and we will have some players step up as we move forward."

The supended players are: Callaway, linebacker Ventrell Miller (Kathleen High School), linebacker James Houston, offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort, defensive end Keivonnis Davis, defensive lineman Jordan Smith and defensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones. Davis played in every game in 2016 for Florida and forced a fumbled in the Gators' Outback Bowl win over Iowa.

A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press the players were suspended for misusing school-issued funds. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Sunday because Florida did not release details of the suspensions.

Being without Callaway could be big since he's the team's top offensive playmaker. In two seasons, the junior from Miami has 89 catches for 1,399 yards and 11 touchdowns.

But his talent has been overshadowed by his troubles.

Callaway pleaded no contest to misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in May and was suspended for the spring semester in 2016 amid sexual battery allegations. He admitted in court documents that he smoked marijuana, though he was eventually cleared of the battery allegation by a Title IX investigation.

Callaway was internally disciplined following the marijuana citation this spring.

Davis was expected to be a key contributor in Florida's defensive line rotation. He had 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 2016.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)