The first day of spring practice was an eventful one for Duke football. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly eventful in a positive way.
In a press release, Duke football announced that Jaylen Coleman suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his left leg during Monday’s opening practice. As a result, the running back will undergo surgery later on Tuesday to repair the damage.
Officially, Coleman will be sidelined indefinitely.
According to one 2018 study, it took NFL players, on average, nearly a year to return to the sport. If that’s even remotely the case for the rising sophomore, Coleman would miss the entire 2020 season.
If that were to happen, Coleman could take a redshirt for the upcoming season. That would leave him with three years of eligibility he could use beginning with the 2021 season.
Coleman was a three-star member of the Duke football Class of 2019. He was the only running back signed by the Blue Devils that cycle.
As a true freshman, the North Carolina native ran for 42 yards on 15 carries. Prior to the injury, Coleman had been expected to take on a greater role in the Duke football offense this coming season.
Duke football is coming off a 5-7 record, the program’s worst since going 4-8 in 2016. That is also the only other time the past eight years the Blue Devils failed to play in a bowl game.
Because of attrition, David Cutcliffe was forced to fill a couple of holes in his coaching staff this offseason.
