Sometimes people fault college juniors for leaving school early, saying they should earn their degree, blah, blah. Well, sometimes returning to school instead of taking the NFL’s money is the very worst thing to do.
Every player that declares for the draft and then decides to return to school worries about injury ruining their future. Unfortunately, that could be the case with Florida senior tight end Cornelius Ingram.
Ingram, who caught 34 passes for 508 yards and seven TDs last season and pondered going pro before returning to Gainesville, injured his knee Tuesday. While it didn’t appear overly serious then – he walked off the field under his own power before it swelled up considerably on Wednesday – there are now reports that it could be a ligament tear that may cost him some or all of the 2008 season.
All coach Urban Meyer has said so far is that Ingram had a strained knee, but the Gators are waiting on the results of an MRI. ESPN is reporting that it is a torn ACL and a season-ending injury.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Ingram, on the preseason John Mackey Award list as college football’s top tight end and a preseason All-SEC pick, has bulked up this offseason and dedicated himself to becoming more of an NFL-type tight end. If Ingram can't play this season, he could petition the NCAA for a sixth season.While tight end isn’t normally a key position in the spread, Ingram is a key for Meyer because of the matchup problems he gives defenses and the fact that he seems to shine on third down. Ingram and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez have been so impressive this offseason that Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen have put in a two tight end package in the spread offense.
The Gators are one of the favorites to win the BCS title this year, listed at +600 on WagerWeb.com.
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