DETROIT -- Torii Hunter Jr. might be ready to play for Notre Dame next season after all.
Speaking at TigerFest Saturday, Torii Hunter Sr. said his son is progressing ahead of schedule after breaking his left femur during practice for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the beginning of January.
"He's doing a lot better," Hunter Sr. said. "He's on crutches, but he's driving to rehab right now. He's riding a bike now, so he's excited about that. The doctors are all excited.
"They're like, 'Man, this is crazy. He shouldn't be doing this right about now.' But he's young and his body's going to heal very quickly."
Hunter Jr. underwent surgery Jan. 2, and the recovery time is generally six to eight months.
"He's possibly going to be back at the end of June and July," Hunter Sr. said. "He should be able to be 100 percent, so he'll be ready before summer practice.
"He'll be able to get some reps in and different things like that. I don't know if they're going to redshirt him to let him completely heal, but I think he'll be ready by the end of June, actually."
Hunter Jr. has posted some pictures of his physical therapy and the progress he's made on his Twitter account, @THunterJr, showing that he can already bend his leg 90 degrees.
In his senior year, Hunter Jr. had 71 receptions for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns for Prosper (Texas) High. His team went 10-3 and made it to the third round of the Class 4A Division II state playoffs.
Hunter Sr. said his son's femur was actually injured during his high school season, not just in that All-American Bowl practice.
"He actually had a stress fracture in that femur before that," Hunter Sr. said. "That's why it snapped."
Even though he could be ready for football season, the injury will force him to miss his senior baseball season. Like his father, he's a center fielder.
"He's pretty bummed," Hunter Sr. said.
