Rutgers receiver KJ Duff out for the season after undergoing ankle surgery, report says

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers standout wide receiver KJ Duff will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a high ankle sprain, according to a report Wednesday from ESPN.

Duff, a junior, is expected to resume football activities in early January ahead of next year's NFL draft. He is one of the top prospects at the position and could be the first Scarlet Knights product taken in the first round since offensive lineman Anthony Davis went 10th in 2010.

Duff, an AP second team pre-season All-America selection, was having a stellar season for the disappointing Scarlet Knights (2-7, 1-5 Big Ten). He ranks seventh nationally with nine receiving touchdowns and 12th with 96.8 yards receiving a game.

Duff missed the game last Saturday against Wisconsin, a third consecutive loss by Rutgers. He left Rutgers’ game against Michigan on Oct. 31 in the second quarter with injury and didn’t return.

Last season, Duff accumulated 1,084 yards receiving on 60 catches with seven TDs, one of just three players in the Big Ten to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark — just the seventh in school history and first since 2014.

He struggled with his decision to return to Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights finished 5-7 and did not play in a bowl game.

“It was tough for me,” Duff told The Associated Press over the summer. “There were obviously other opportunities on the table with the way college football is now. I went back and forth for weeks. One day I’m leaving, one day I’m not. But ultimately, it came down to what was important to me, staying at Rutgers to finish what I started with coach (Greg) Schiano.”

Duff's season-ended one day after the university announced Schiano will be back next season, his 19th at Rutgers.

Duff has 132 catches for 2,283 yards and 17 touchdowns in 30 games. He ranks seventh in program history in career yards, tied for fifth in touchdowns with Kenny Britt and Chris Brantley, and tied for 10th in receptions with Tiquan Underwood.

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