On Friday morning, the Miami Hurricanes got some potentially bad injury news. Per a report by Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post, Sophomore WR Lawrence Cager suffered a knee injury in a recent 7on7 workout.
Breaking: Miami Hurricanes lose WR Lawrence Cager to serious knee injury https://t.co/Cna4XabBo6 pic.twitter.com/tGmDvBgt24
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) July 15, 2016
Cager all but confirmed this report with a tweet thanking fans for their support.
I appreciate all the support, I'll be back stronger than ever...believe that!
— Lawrence Cager (@_jefe18) July 15, 2016
This is a big blow to the Canes' WR corps, a group that is looking for impact players to join Stacy Coley at the top of the rotation. Cager, a big receiver at 6'5" with very good skills, was in line to challenge to be one of those players. This injury, however, will preclude that from happening.
Miami was already going to have to lean on freshmen Sam Bruce, Dionte Mullins (if he qualifies), and Ahmmon Richards, along with JUCO transfer Dayall Harris to take snaps and make plays in 2016. The need for those 4 players to integrate themselves immediately into the offense is increased with the report of Cager's injury.
A U.S. Army All-American in 2015, Cager is a talented player with good skills. He had 8 catches for 70 yards and a TD in 2015, but was virtually assured of surpassing those numbers in his sophomore season. Instead, Cager will likely miss the 2016 season due to his injury, and take a redshirt year.
While this is a tough blow for a talented player, Cager still has a bright future, and can come back to be an impact player in the years to come.
We wish Lawrence the best in his recovery, and look forward to him making a full recovery and return to the field in 2017.