The University of Minnesota football team had high hopes for what freshman wide receiver Jamel Harbison could bring to the offense this season. The Gophers will have to wait until next year to find out, however.
Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill told reporters Saturday that Harbison will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee.
Harbison suffered the injury in the Gophers' season-opening win against UNLV on Thursday in Las Vegas. Harbison did not register a catch but did have one carry for two yards before suffering the knee injury.
"It's a big blow," said Kill, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "He never really got a chance to get started in the game because it happened early in the game. He actually played two or three plays with it. It's something that will heal up good.”
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Harbison came to Minnesota via Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte and was ranked by Scout.com as the 148th-best wide receiver in the country. During his senior season at Mallard Creek, Harbison had 21 touchdowns.
Because the injury occurred in the team’s first game of the year, Harbison will be eligible to redshirt this season.
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