Gophers coach Jerry Kill provided a few injury updates Sunday on his weekly radio appearance with Sid Hartman and Dave Mona on WCCO (hat tip to DL65 over at GopherHole.com) and I was able to confirm these tidbits today:
Senior tackle Ed Olson had left ankle surgery and will miss spring practice. Olson's ankle has bothered him for quite some time, so he had the procedure, aiming to be as strong as possible by Aug. 1.
Senior offensive lineman Zach Mottla, who suffered a compound leg fracture in the Illinois game, will miss spring practice as expected, but the goal is to have him ready by Aug. 1.
Junior WR Marcus Jones, who had ACL surgery last fall, is looking good in his workouts and should be ready for everything but contact in spring practice.
Sophomore WR Andre McDonald is off the roster, as we discussed last week, and won't be back until he re-enrolls in school.
In other news:
Senior DT Roland Johnson, who had ACL surgery before the bowl game, will miss spring practice as expected, but the team hopes to have him ready by Aug. 1.
Redshirt freshman WR Jamel Harbison is further along in his recovery from ACL surgery, since his injury happened in the first game. I can't stress enough how excited the staff is to have this guy back. From what I've heard, he was the team's best receiver last year in fall practice. I'm anxious to get a look at him when spring practice opens March 26.
