Star Miami LT Zion Nelson questionable for Game 1 after missing another week of practice
With less than 10 days until the start of the season, Zion Nelson has still not been a full participant in practice for the Miami Hurricanes and his status is in question for Week 1 of the 2022 college football season.
“He’s getting closer,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “I can’t guarantee he’s going to be ready for Game 1. We’ll know more by Tuesday or Wednesday, probably Wednesday.”
Nelson is still working his way back from July surgery to clean out floating from his left knee and Miami is being cautious with its star tackle, Cristobal said.
On Aug. 2, Nelson said he had surgery a few days after Independence Day and expected a six- to eight-week timetable for his recovery. The 6-foot-5, 316-pound offensive lineman is now more than six weeks out from surgery and an eight-week recovery would put him on track to return just before the Hurricanes open the season against the FCS Bethune-Cookman Wildcats next week.
“If you had to practice with him today and run a full practice, you’d probably feel good about that,” Cristobal said. “If you had to play a game today, it’s pretty close and we hedge on the side of safety, which is really important and he knows that.”
Nelson, a fourth-year junior, has started at left tackle since his very first game at Miami and made 32 starts so far in his career. He’s a preseason All-American, according to The Athletic, Athlon and College Football News, and a potential early-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Cristobal: Knighton returns to practice
After missing practice Tuesday with an unspecified injury, Jaylan Knighton has returned to action for the Hurricanes, Cristobal said.
Although two sources described Knighton’s absence as “precautionary,” Cristobal was noncommittal about the running back’s status for Game 1.
“He’s returned to practice,” Cristobal said. “He got nicked up a little bit — nothing major. We’ll see.”
Miami can probably afford to take a cautious approach for the start of the season: Bethune-Cookman went just 2-9 last season and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, the Hurricanes’ opponent in Week 2, went 3-9.
There’s also a particular incentive to play it safe at tailback in the early weeks of the year: Miami is down to three scholarship halfbacks for the start of the season after running backs Donald Chaney Jr. and TreVonte’ Citizen went down with injuries during training camp.
Running backs Henry Parrish Jr. and Thaddius Franklin Jr. join Knighton in the backfield to start the year.
“We’ll certainly divvy up the reps so that one back doesn’t have to carry the load of two or three,” Cristobal said. “We don’t want to overload a guy that it’ll create a domino effect of soft-tissue injuries and stuff of that nature. We’ll make sure that we continue to elevate and develop whoever is in line next.”
Chaney should return this season
The Hurricanes also should get Chaney back at some point during the season. The third-year redshirt freshman’s “injury wasn’t as serious as TreVonte’s,” Cristobal said, and won’t knock him out for the year, like Citizen’s did.
Still, Chaney will miss several weeks. A source told the Miami Herald the injury is to Chaney’s hip.
“It was significant enough where he’s going to miss some time,” Cristobal said. “He’ll miss several weeks.”
Next up on the depth chart seems to be walk-on running back Devon Perry, who impressed in the spring game.
Said quarterback Tyler Van Dyke: “He can get the job done in there when he needs to.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
