There isn’t much news that has come out of Tar Heel spring practice as close in on the halfway point of camp, but the storyline that did come out this evening made you wish things were still quiet.
As first reported by Inside Carolina’s Adam Smith, junior cornerback Marcus Allen is currently rehabbing after having surgery on his knee earlier this week. According to Smith, the surgery was to repair a partial meniscus tear in his left knee that he suffered during the spring break where players were away from campus.
The recovery timetable is four weeks according to Smith and his conversations with a source about the situation seemed very positive.
Allen started every game a year ago for the Tar Heels at corner, playing the most snaps of anyone on the defensive side of the ball with 915. He finished the season with 49 total tackles, 0.5 a tackle for loss, one interception and a team-high eight pass break ups.
With Allen having not participated in spring practice, that means that the team is without its all three of the guys that started games for the team on the outside a year ago are not with the team in camp. Alijah Huzzie has been able to move to the outside thanks to the return of DeAndre Boykins from injury and the addition of true freshman Ty White in the slot, which is a big boost considering Huzzie shined there last preseason. Senior Lejond Cavazos is also back at full strength, giving the team another experienced option in the room that can take snaps until Allen can return. This also means more snaps have been available for some of the young guys, including newcomers Tyrane Stewart and Zion Ferguson who are in their first spring camps with the team.