Heel Tough Blog: Antoine Green Out 6-10 Weeks With Broken Collarbone
Monday was the first time since the opening day of practice that the media was able to speak to head coach Mack Brown. While this was a chance to get an update on some of the biggest battles on the team happening right now, mainly the quarterback position, one of the most important things revealed on Monday was the injury timetable for senior wide receiver Antoine Green.
The sixth-year receiver went down during the team’s scrimmage on Saturday after what Brown described as a “hitch route where he got hit by a linebacker”. Brown said that the operation took place yesterday and that he was back in the building this morning for team meetings. Right now, the timetable is seen as a 6-10 week period, the hope being that this will be able to match the early timeline and he could return as soon as the Notre Dame game. The game against Notre Dame is the start of what will be an important middle portion of the schedule for the team with multiple swing games in the ACC Coastal following that Notre Dame matchup.
For now, it will be on others in that room and the tight end room to step it up. Sophomore Kobe Paysour has been raved about a lot this offseason and he will now need to be prepared to have a major impact right out of the gate. Fellow second-year sophomore J.J. Jones and junior Justin Olson, who both played significant roles for the team down the stretch of the season, could not once again be counted on to play some significant reps, especially early in the season. Sophomore tight end Bryson Nesbit split his time in the spring between tight end and wide receiver and may be needed to do that once again now following the injury. True freshman Andre Greene Jr. is the biggest beacon of hope, though, based on what he has shown early in fall camp. If he can continue to build on that over the next couple of weeks, he will likely have the chance to make an impact right out of the gate for the team. Junior tight end Kamari Morales will also need to step up during this time as the most veteran pass catcher outside of Downs.