Mel Tucker won't say if Jayden Reed will play vs. Washington
Michigan State's Mel Tucker did not have an update on senior wide receiver Jayden Reed's health at his weekly press conference, nor would the head coach confirm whether or not Reed would play this Saturday against Washington.
“He’s sore, so he’ll be ready when he’s ready,” coach Mel Tucker said on Monday.
Asked later in the press conference if Reed would suit up against the Huskies, Tucker would not elaborate on his status, stating the senior would be back "whenever that is" that's he's ready to come back.
This is Tucker's typical approach to injuries. He, understandably, keeps injury information close to the vest when it could have a potential impact on Michigan State's upcoming games.
Tucker gave the same line — "He's sore, so he'll be ready when he's ready" — when talking about the injury to senior safety Xavier Henderson that occurred in the season-opener against Western Michigan.
Reed was injured after making a 22-yard catch along Akron's sideline late in the second quarter. He was pushed out of bounds while coming down with the ball and slid into the Zips' bench. Reed then immediately reached for his back, and eventually was led to the locker room by MSU trainers.
After halftime, Reed returned to Michigan State's sidelines in street clothes. According to the Big Ten Network broadcast, the wide receiver suffered a cut on his back during the play in which he was injured.
Michigan State is already without starting linebacker Darius Snow for the remainder of the 2022 season, but Henderson's status remains unclear after he was seen in a leg brace and on crutches during the second half of the Western Michigan game.
Other Spartans are questionable for the trip to Washington as well, including defensive tackles Dashaun Mallory and Jalen Hunt and defensive end Michael Fletcher, each of whom missed the first two games. Defensive end Avery Dunn was injured against the Broncos and didn’t play against Akron.
We will continue to monitor the status of these players as information becomes available to us.
