Oregon Ducks defensive back Jahlil Florence (right) defends a pass against Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier (left) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium in September 2023.
Cornerback Jahlil Florence, whose breakout sophomore season was cut short by injury, hasn’t yet participated in any of Oregon football’s spring practices.
There is optimism, however, that he could be back on the field sometime in the coming weeks.
“We may get something out of him later in the spring,” co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hampton said Thursday. “He’s out there now doing some of the walk through stuff with us, but that’s about it right now.
“I think his rehab’s going pretty good. Talking to Chief (associate director of athletic medicine Kevin Steil) and talking to Jahlil, he’s in a much better space than he was about a month ago.”
Florence started nine games and played in 11 before suffering a season-ending leg injury against Arizona State on Nov. 18.
Positioned opposite NFL cornerback prospect Khyree Jackson, Florence finished with 27 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one interception.
Florence was a consensus four-star recruit in the class of 2022 out of San Diego’s Lincoln High and a top-100 player in the nation, according to 247Sports. He played in eight games and 208 defensive snaps as a freshman.
“The ceiling? Oh man, he’s got a lot of potential,” Hampton said. “I mean, Jahlil is long. He’s got change of direction, you know, if he could just stay healthy. … Last year he was coming on, started a bunch of games. Then he got injured. But I think that Jahlil’s ceiling could be an NFL player. He can tackle, he’s pretty smart and he can play inside or outside. … But I’m really high on Jahlil, you know, you just got to make sure he gets back.”
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oregon-football-starting-cornerback-jahlil-170427140.html
Author : The Register-Guard
Publish date : 2024-04-05 17:04:27
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