STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University redshirt sophomore tight end Malcolm Johnson suffered an injury last weekend.
MSU football spokesperson Joe Galbraith declined to elaborate about the specifics of the injury, citing “team policy on injuries. He refused to comment about whether the injury was to Johnson’s “upper body” or “lower body” when asked Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound tight end, recently was one of 33 players selected to the 2012 John Mackey Award watch list, which is given to the nation’s best tight end. It will be presented Dec. 6.
Johnson had 11 catches for 206 yards last season, but he formed a bond with quarterback Tyler Russell and caught two touchdowns after Russell was inserted as the starter behind center in the middle of the season.
With MSU officials refusing to elaborate on how long Johnson would be out of action this season, the Bulldogs will shift to Marcus Green, who last week was granted a sixth year of eligibility, and redshirt sophomore Brandon Hill, a former standout at West Lowndes High School.
MSU strength coach says two injured players are back to full participation
MSU strength coach Matt Balis said Wednesday offensive lineman Tobias Smith and safety Nickoe Whitley, who missed most of the 2011 season, will participate fully as the Bulldogs resume summer workouts.
Smith, a right guard from Columbus High, missed the remainder of the 2011 season after injuring his left knee in a loss to LSU.
Smith, who has a history of leg and ankle injuries in his first two seasons at MSU, suffered a left knee injury after senior quarterback Chris Relf ran for 4 yards on third down. The injury included partial tears of the anterior, medial, and lateral ligaments in his left knee.
“I wouldn’t know percentage-wise (how close they are to 100 percent), but they’re doing everything,” Balis said. “They’re doing great.”
Smith has played in only 18 games since arriving at MSU in 2008. He will try to return after his third major surgery.
Whitley ruptured the Achilles’ tendon in his left foot in a 24-7 loss to the eventual national champions University of Alabama. He had 34 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble in nine games last season.
“We’ve got a lot of athletes in the secondary (with) myself, (Darius) Slay, (Corey) Broom(field), (Jamerson) Love, (Taveze) Calhoun, (and) Nickoe,” MSU senior cornerback Johnthan Banks said. “The coaches are going to have their hands full trying to put everybody on the field. We have a lot of athletes back there.”
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