STARKVILLE — Mississippi State junior wide receiver Chad Bumphis dropped a potentially plan-altering tweet Monday night, saying he”d be having surgery today to repair a broken ankle.
Bumphis told a pair of followers “I broke my ankle today” and also said “Pray for me and my surgery in the morning please!”
After having an X-ray Tuesday morning, a Mississippi State spokesman confirmed Bumphis has an ankle sprain and would not require surgery.
Confirmation of Bumphis” injury didn”t come until after press time.
Bumphis missed MSU”s victory against the University of Michigan in the Gator Bowl after breaking his collarbone catching a pass in the regular-season finale at the University of Mississippi.
Bumphis was fully recovered for spring practice and wasn”t limited on the field.
Depending on the severity of a broken ankle, recovery would have been anywhere from seven weeks to three months.
If Bumphis had broken his ankle, he would have joined running back Nick Griffin (anterior cruciate ligament), center Sam Watts (foot), and guard Tobias Smith (shoulder) as offensive players carrying significant injuries into the summer. Smith is slated to be ready for the start of fall camp, projected on Aug. 4, while Griffin”s target to return in Oct. 1. Watts” status is uncertain.
Bumphis divulging news of an injury goes against the grain of MSU coach Dan Mullen”s approach to discussing player injuries.
Bumphis led the Bulldogs with 44 catches for 634 yards and five touchdowns last season. He also had 137 rushing yards on 19 carries.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.