On Day 2 of U.S. Army All-American Bowl practices in San Antonio, Notre Dame wide receiver commit Torii Hunter Jr. broke his left femur Tuesday while running a routine route and underwent reconstructive surgery on Wednesday.
“I’ve never been around something like that," said Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell. "I’ve been around injuries. I saw LeSean McCoy break his ankle, and that was pretty horrible, and I’ve seen kids get injured pretty badly, but this was something different. You could tell by the way he went down in so much pain. Everything went silent, and everybody was like, ‘What happened?’ because it wasn’t a contact injury.
"It didn’t look like there was something where he planted and just blew out his ACL. I’ve seen kids blow out their ligaments, I’ve seen kids with dislocated knees, and there’s always a level of pain, but not like this. This was a very sobering, horrible moment, because this is a good kid. ... I’m not talking about him like his career is over, but I’m just talking about [Tuesday] that whole practice changed for everybody who saw that.”
The son of Detroit Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter Sr., Junior hauled in 71 catches for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns this past fall, leading Prosper (Texas) High (10-3) to the third round of the Class 4A Division II state playoffs. He's currently ranked the No. 21 wideout and No. 181 senior recruit nationally by Rivals.com.
[Also: SEC's bowl season should give Notre Dame a boost vs. Alabama]
Not only will Hunter Jr. miss Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but the Major League Baseball prospect likely won't return in time for his final prep baseball season. His recovery could take 6-8 months, his father told ESPN.
"He's a tough boy," said Torii Hunter Sr. "He's distraught right now, he's never had an injury before. I told him he'll bounce back. I know he will.
"He's seen me fight through injuries, so he knows it can happen. You just have to work hard."
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