Michigan WR Amara Darboh out for the season with foot injury
Michigan sophomore wide receiver Amara Darboh will miss the entire 2013 season with a foot injury. (Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com)
(Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com)
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Nick Baumgardner | nbaumgardner@mlive.com
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on August 21, 2013 at 9:01 AM, updated August 21, 2013 at 9:15 AM
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ANN ARBOR -- One of Michigan's host highly-anticipated wide receivers will miss the entire 2013 football season.
The program announced Wednesday morning that sophomore wideout Amara Darboh will be out for the year with a foot injury that will require surgery.
"I love Amara, and just hate it for him, how hard he worked through the offseason and fall camp to earn a starting role," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said in a statement. "We'll rally around him like a family does and help him get through this difficult time."
Hoke said Tuesday that the 6-foot-2, 212-pound sophomore from Des Moines, Iowa was injured during Saturday's scrimmage and had missed practice up until Tuesday.
He did not know at the time how serious the injury was, but now, it appears to be devastating.
Michigan expected Darboh to step in and possibly start at wide receiver this season, as the Wolverines were counting on his production as a down-the-field vertical wideout.
The sophomore played, mainly on special teams, as a true freshman in 2012. If the injury does indeed keep him out for the entire 2013 season, he'll be able to obtain a redshirt and a fifth year of eligibility.
With Darboh now on the sideline for the year, Michigan will almost certainly turn to redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson (6-foot-3, 196) to fill the void on the edge.
Michigan's leading receiver in 2012, senior Jeremy Gallon, is back after a 49-catch, 829-yard season a year ago. Michigan also has senior Drew Dileo, who made 20 catches a year ago.
Gallon and Dileo are 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10, respectively.
Michigan's wide receiving corps also features 6-foot-3 senior Jeremy Jackson, who has made just 11 career catches, and 5-foot-7 sophomore Dennis Norfleet -- who is in his first year at the position after entering the program as a running back. 6-foot-1 fifth-year senior Joe Reynolds, mostly used as a blocking wideout a year ago, has 17 career grabs.
The Wolverines did bring in three highly-rated, and sizable, freshmen at the position this season -- Csont'e York (6-foot-3, 180), Da'Mario Jones (6-foot-2, 192) and Jaron Dukes (6-foot-4, 190).