Big Ten Daily: Nebraska Freshman Tight End Thomas Fidone Out With Knee Injury
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Nebraska suffered their first known major injury of the spring this past week. Cornhuskers coach Scott Frost confirmed on Wednesday that true freshman tight end Thomas Fidone suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for an extended period of time.
Frost said he suffered a non-contact injury and he will have surgery on Thursday.
"The best chance would be to get him back in the middle of the season and play some games down the stretch," Frost said.
Fidone, who was ranked as the nation's No. 1 tight end in the class of 2021 had been working behind juniors Austin Allen and Travis Vokolek this spring
It's unknown what type of role he was going to have with the Big Red this season, but there's still a chance he could potentially return later in the year and take advantage of the NCAA's four-game redshirt rule.
Wednesday was the Huskers' final spring practice before Saturday's Red-White spring game, where up to 40,000 fans are expected to be in attendance.
Husker fans naturally wonder about true freshman tight end Thomas Fidone's progress as the team moves into the very late stages of spring practice. After all, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Fidone was the nation's top tight end recruit in the class of 2021 by both Rivals and 247Sports.
Tight ends coach Greg Beckton said Fidone, a top-40 national recruit overall, is starting to understand the necessary techniques and how to practice on the college level. Fidone is a physical player, Beckton said, but he had to work on footwork and hand placement and those sorts of important details.
"This was his best day, by far," Beckton said. "So I'm really, really proud of him. We just have to continue to press him. He's going to help this football team this year."
The coach added, "I walked with him coming off the field and told him how proud I was of him."
ESPN ranks Rondale Moore ninth-best receiver
ESPN senior writer and draft analyst Todd McShay released the rankings for his top 350 players ahead of the first round of the NFL draft, which includes positional rankings, scouting reports and highlights.
In his final draft rankings, McShay rated Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore as the ninth-best wide receiver prospect in this year's draft. Moore is ranked as the 54th-best prospect regardless of position.
At his pro day, Moore was measured at 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds. Despite his explosive speed and physicality, he's since been falling down the draft rankings.
“I think he’s a third-round talent," Sports Illustrated college football expert Jim Mora said of Moore. "I think second is probably a little high just because of the measurables, I think people worry about that. But third, fourth round you go ahead and take a chance on this guy just because of the talent, because of the intangibles, because of the things he can bring to a team."
To read the full article on our Sports Illustrated Purdue page, CLICK HERE
Michigan State loses another QB
So far this offseason, a staggering number of players have entered the transfer portal from Michigan State. The Spartans already lost quarterback Rocky Lombardi to Northern Illinois and now, redshirt junior Theo Day has put his name in the portal as well.
Day is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback who has appeared in two games for Michigan State. He completed two passes for 12 yards in 2019 against Penn State.
The Spartans went 2-5 last season under first-year coach Mel Tucker, who was hired during the coronavirus pandemic to replace Mark Dantonio. Now, Michigan State has seen 26 different players shop around via the transfer portal.
To read the full article on our Sports Illustrated Michigan State site, CLICK HERE
Former Ohio State guard D.J. Carton turning pro
Marquette announced Wednesday that sophomore point guard D.J. Carton will hire an agent and enter the 2021 NBA Draft. He is effectively ending his college eligibility after one season with the Golden Eagles.
Carton transferred to Marquette after one season with Ohio State. He averaged 13 points, 3.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game.
He was practicing with other players in recent weeks and seemed ready to play for Marquette's new coach Shaka Smart. On a trip to visit players and their families, Smart visited with Carton's family in Davenport, Iowa.
Marquette freshman forward Dawson Garcia also entered his name into the NBA draft, but he decided to maintain his college eligibility. The 6-foot-11 player was heavily recruited out of Prior Lake, Minnesota. He received numerous offers and took official visits to Indiana, Marquette, Memphis and Minnesota.
