Talented Tennessee wide receiver Marquez North is reportedly not as badly injured as was initially rumored, and he may not even miss an entire week.
After missing the final three games of the 2014 season due to injury, rumors of another setback have been swirling. North was reported to have suffered a “serious leg injury” per Brad Matthews of FoxSports, who wrote it was “feared to be season ending” on Thursday morning.
However, as the morning wore on, other reports emerged, shooting down the claim that North’s season could be lost. Bruce Feldman of FoxSports reported the receiver may not even be out one weeks, noting the previous rumor was “all false.”
SOURCE: Speculation on #Vols big WR Marquez North possibly being injured & lost for the season is all false. He may be out 1 wk or less
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 13, 2015
Jimmy Hyams of The Sports Animal backed up this claim, relaying that the injury looks “more positive than negative,” per a source.
One source on status of WR Marquez North knee injury: `It looks more positive than negative.'
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) August 13, 2015
Finally, further supporting the news Feldman broke about the injury being minor, Dustin Dopirak of the Knoxville News Sentinel chimed in that the previous report was “blown out of proportion.”
Playing off of what @JimmyHyams just tweeted, hearing from a source that news on the injury has been blown out of proportion.
— Tennessee Beat (@TennesseeBeat) August 13, 2015
This is, of course, tremendous news for the Volunteers.
North is one of the nation’s top receiving prospects. At 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, he possesses prototypical NFL size to go along with an outstanding repertoire of skills. He has been expected to be a featured player for Tennessee this year after showing sparks of greatness in his first two seasons.
Hopefully, he will rebound quickly and therefore won’t miss the season opener, when the Volunteers host the Bowling Green Falcons on Sept. 5 at Nissan Stadium.