SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame redshirt junior wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. is through the team’s concussion protocol and said Wednesday he’s “fairly confident” he’ll play Saturday night against Michigan State.
Hunter participated in non-contact portions of practice Tuesday and said he’s feeling much more like himself after suffering a concussion Sept. 4 against Texas.
“I’m feeling a lot better,” Hunter said. “I’m feeling like myself again.”
Hunter said Texas safeties DeShon Elliott, who delivered the hit that Notre Dame coaches and players thought should’ve resulted in a targeting penalty, and Kevin Vaccaro messaged him on Twitter to apologize. Hunter said he wasn't sure if Elliott should've been flagged for a penalty -- had that been the case, Notre Dame would've got a fresh set of downs in the red zone -- but said the play at least deserved to be reviewed.
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“(Elliott) said he didn’t mean to target me, and I jokingly said, ‘Oh, so you did target?” Hunter said. “I said I was kidding. You were just trying to make a play like I was. It’s all good.”
"... I thought it was cool that they did that. I can respect it."
Hunter lost consciousness after being hit and doesn't remember anything after it until he came to while walking down the steps at Darrell K. Royal Stadium to go to the locker room. He said it was the first concussion he's had, or at least reported, in his football career.
Hunter said he started feeling better last Friday and Saturday, and while he would’ve liked to play last week against Nevada, there wasn’t much consideration to getting on the field out of an abundance of caution. Hunter expects to continue to push himself this week — he’s still protecting his head during practice — and should be in line to return for Saturday night’s showdown against the Spartans.
"It's tough just being out there watching the guys play you know how much work you put into it, and to miss a game is tough," Hunter said. "But I'm excited to be back and to play with my brothers again."