Jimbo Fisher addressed the media at ACC Media Days Tuesday and offered updates on a handful of injured players.
Jimbo Fisher addressed the media at ACC Media Days Tuesday and offered updates on a handful of injured players.
The good
Safety Tyler Hunter (meniscus) should be ready to practice when it opens on August 5th. Ditto linebackersTerrance Smith (turf toe) and Reggie Northrup (torn ACL in Rose Bowl). If Fisher is being accurate and not just optimistic, that would be just seven months and four days since the ACL tear, an incredibly fast recovery for that sort of injury. Northrup was spotted at a recent FSU football recruit camp wearing a large brace, and Fisher is known for being very optimistic about his players with the media, so we will see what happens there. FSU will monitor and limit Northrup some early on.
Florida State's linebacker situation is a mess and the season has not even started, so making sure that Northrup is brought on at the proper pace to avoid a setback will be vital.
Fisher also said center Ryan Hoefeld (knee) will also be working back.
The hmmm
Defensive end Josh Sweat, who suffered an extreme knee injury last fall in high school, was spotted with a limp recently by Josh Newberg of Noles247.
But Fisher was optimistic. "I think Josh Sweat will be in practice very early," Fisher said.
Now, this does not mean that Sweat will be practicing with pads. It could very much mean that he's out at practice, working on his conditioning and rehab and taking mental reps to stay fresh. Sweat is still extremely skinny, having missed a whole year of weight lifting.
The bad
Matthew Thomas is going to miss a significant amount of time due to a "total reconstruction" shoulder surgery. This isn't going to help the linebacker situation, and I'd be somewhat surprised if Thomas plays this year. Fisher stressed the need to take time with this injury.