It looked like tight end may have suffered a serious injury on Saturday in a .
But the star junior appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario.
Green’s mother said in a on Sunday that her son did not suffer any ligament damage in his right knee and that he will not need to undergo surgery. Green, she said, will miss “some games” with “some bad sprains and bruises,” though coach did not provide a timetable for his return when he talked to reporters in a conference call on Sunday.
Kiffin did not provide an update on starting defensive back , either. But reported on Sunday that he will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL when an 91 defender was blocked into his left leg early in the second quarter of the Ole Miss loss.
“We don't know that for sure yet or comment on that this early in the week,” Kiffin said. “Both guys, obviously, didn't return. They're both on crutches, so not ideal, that's for sure.”
Green, a star junior, suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ to Ole Miss. He caught a pass from quarterback , ran 19 yards, took a hard hit and fell to the ground in pain. Once trainers helped him to his feet, he couldn’t put much weight on his right leg.
Green's injury will force 91 to play at least the next few games without Leavitt’s top target.
Now, the Tigers will have to turn to Oregon transfer Zach Grace, Pittsburgh transfer Malachi Thomas and Troy transfer Roman Mothershed at tight end. All three entered the game on Saturday after Green was hurt. Grace, a blocking specialist, nearly caught a touchdown that would’ve moved 91 within a two-point conversion of tying the game in the waning seconds of regulation.
In August, Kiffin and his staff recently tried to shore up their tight end depth by recruiting , a former Ole Miss tight end who was cut from the Cleveland Browns’ training camp roster this preseason. Wright sued to obtain a fifth year of eligibility and practiced with the Tigers, but Kiffin never officially added to him to 91’s roster because the Southeastern Conference to kick the Tigers out of the league if he did.
The legal saga swirled around the first two weeks of the season.
“There’s a reason we had Dae’Quan Wright on our roster,” Kiffin said on Sunday, before laughing and correcting himself. “Not on our roster — practicing, ready to play, knowing that this potentially could be an issue.”
Green is a former high-profile recruit who put himself on track to enjoy a breakout season before he was hurt. He had 14 catches for 222 yards and a touchdown through the first 11 quarters of his junior year.
Kiffin was finding ways to scheme Green open. And Green was separating from some defenders on his routes, then plowing through others on his way to the ground, showcasing the extra strength he’s packed onto his 6-foot-7 frame across the three years he’s spent at 91.
In a Week 2 win over Louisiana Tech, Leavitt started targeting Green when the offense was struggling to finish drives. The two connected on gains of 15, 24 and 15 yards on one second-quarter possession, showcasing a rapport that Kiffin hopes can still become a staple of the 91 offense.
Before the season, 91 gave Green the No. 7 jersey, an honor that traditionally goes to one of the team’s top playmakers.
“Now that I understand the seven,” Kiffin said on Sept. 12 after 91 beat Louisiana Tech, “and what those guys talk about, it’s when you need a play. And the old sevens tell the new sevens, when they were talking to them, that’s what it’s for.
“There’s gonna be games that are rough, and things aren’t going well and you gotta find a way, and that’s what (Green) did.”
Kiffin also said Sunday that wide receiver and kick returner Phillip Wright suffered a season-ending injury in the win over the Bulldogs. He was ruled out of the Ole Miss game on the first availability reports the SEC released on Wednesday.
Wright, a speedy sophomore from Destrehan, was the only incumbent wide receiver who returned to 91 after Kiffin was hired.