Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh announced Monday that starting defensive end Aidan Hutchinson will undergo surgery for a fracture to his leg.
Hutchinson suffered an injury in Michigan's loss to Indiana on Saturday and walked off the field, but he was shown on the television broadcast wearing a boot on the sidelines.
"He's worked so hard, he's put so much into it and [is] playing really good," Harbaugh said. "But I know he'll come back stronger, faster, better, it's just the way he is. He's so high-drive, and this is not something that's going to be a detriment to his career. He's young, he'll heal fast and like I said, he'll come back even better, stronger and faster."
Hutchinson's father, Chris, who was an All-America defensive lineman at Michigan and is now an emergency room physician, says the timing of Aidan's surgery will depend on the swelling. They anticipate that the surgery will be done next week, and if everything goes smoothly, Chris Hutchinson says he would expect his son to be back to 100 percent in roughly four months.
Chris Hutchinson added that the surgeons the family has spoken to all said they expect a full recovery.
Aidan Hutchinson is in his junior season, but because the NCAA has instituted a rule allowing an extra year of eligibility for student-athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he will still have two years of eligibility remaining if he decides to use them.