Just when things appeared to be turning around for CJ O’Grady, the Razorback tight end has hit a bump in the road.
At the start of Arkansas’ latest training camp, the team’s most productive tight end was running with the third-team offense in practice. That caused some red flags in Fayetteville and when asked about why O’Grady was that low on the depth chart to open camp, Chad Morris called out the senior. Morris challenged O’Grady to step up without getting too specific on what the tight end did but later in camp, the Arkansas coach praised the tight end for his response in training camp.
“I think CJ has responded really well,” Morris recently said. “CJ is doing some good things and continues to add value to that tight end room and this football team. I’ve been pleased with the way he has responded.”
O’Grady led the Razorbacks with 30 catches and six receiving touchdowns last fall, all came in the final eight games of the season, O’Grady appears poised for a big season in his final collegiate season, but unfortunately, some bad news has emerged from Fayetteville.
According to the senior, he suffered a “minor setback” in practice and will have to have surgery to correct the issue.
“For those of you who thought this was behavior-related, that’s not the case. Had a very minor setback today in practice,” O’Grady tweeted out. “Going to have surgery tomorrow and I’m praying it goes smooth. I’ll forever be thankful for the plan God has for me. Should be back healthy in a few weeks.”
On the positive side, it sounds like O’Grady should be able to return to the field for his final season in Fayetteville. While the Razorbacks could certainly use him during the early portion of the season, the schedule doesn’t ramp up for the Razorbacks until October. If Arkansas can get O’Grady back in time for the meat of the SEC schedule, he should still be able to leave his mark on the team’s season this fall.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
