Updated: October 21, 2014: This is the statement from Mike Goforth, Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine at Virginia Tech.
"After his knee surgery on September 23, Luther Maddy had two options moving forward. Luther has chosen the option of having an additional procedure and taking a medical hardship, so we will move forward based on his decision. The expected recovery time is four-to-six months and he will be limited in the spring, but is expected to be full for fall practice."
Need another surgery so I'll redshirt this season and play another year at tech. You won't find anybody more focused! #HokieNation #Blessed— Luther Maddy (@BigLu_561) October 20, 2014
This is an obvious blow to Tech's defensive line rotation this season. However, if Luther can rehab and return to form, Tech's 2015 group of defensive tackles might be the strength of the defense. Corey Marshall and Woody Baron will be the top-2 nose tackles (one-techniques) and Nigel Williams and Ricky Walker the top two tackles (three-techniques) against Miami, Thursday. All four players have remaining eligibility. Marshall is having an All-ACC season, Williams' play has made Luther's absence sting less and Walker is performing better than expected for a true freshman.
Beamer Co. was initially optimistic Maddy would be healthy for last Thursday's game against Pitt after Maddy underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on September 23rd. However, Bud Foster hinted during the recovery the possibility of the senior applying for a medical redshirt was an option.
Maddy suffered the tear in the East Carolina game, but played 48 defensive snaps against Georgia Tech. He has played in just 4 games this season, so he should be eligible for a medical hardship and fifth year of eligibility, but it's unknown if that's officially been granted.
Comments
Silver lining:
Get better, Big Lu.
I'm hopeful on this for Luther, but the med redshirt is not a certainty, what if he doesn't get it?
The medical redshirt is based on hard criteria. I see no reason why the NCAA wouldn't grant it. He played in 4 games and his injury was season-ending. That's all there should be to it. Issues arise when players ask for a hardship waiver to get a sixth year of eligibility. That's not the case here.
David Wang is in his sixth year. As an example of overcoming those issues, would you happen to know how that was granted to him? Side question here; Didn't Glennon also get six years?
If a player loses two years to injuries (i.e. never voluntarily redshirting), he can be granted up to six years of eligibility to have 4 full years of playing time. That is at the NCAA's discretion. Wang had shoulder surgery and missed the entire 2009-2010 season, then played two games in 2011-2012 before breaking his foot.
One-time medical redshirts are very common and have very clear requirements. That's why there's no reason to think Maddy wouldn't get one.
I don't think Glennon got six years, probably just felt that way for some people.
Glennon did not have a 6th year. He played as a true freshman in 04, redshirted in 05 then played in 06-08.
As much as it sucks that we won't see him again this year, I think this will work out well for him in the long run. Hoping he comes back completely healthy next year, gets another full year of fully-dipped tape for scouts to look at, and gets paid.
Sad to hear that about his recovery, but he will remain a huge asset to the team and hopefully boost his draft stock in the process.
If Luther Maddy isn't what a Hokie looks like, then I'm not sure I know what a Hokies is. Bittersweet news to hear he's gotta have another surgery, but that defensive line is going to vicious next year, with or without Sweat. Glad Big Lu was given the redshirt and look forward to seeing him doing his thang next year. Minor setback for a major comeback!!
Yeah, this is bittersweet to me. Sure, it means we'll likely get the entirety of what should be a dominant DL back next year and he'll have another chance to get the attention he deserves from NFL scouts that he wasn't gonna get this year.
But at the same time, it feels like yet another in a series of compelling signs that this year is pretty much over for the team, beyond bowl eligibility and beating UVA, once again. That and I just like watching Big Lu play, and multiple knee surgeries is always scary.
at this point, a decent bowl, beating LOLUVA, and becoming a well executing ( /rp reduced penalties font) sounds like success.
Whatever we are doing on offense needs to be executable by college kids, repeatedly, in high-stress, high noise environments.
The thing is, Lefty said (I believe in a Bitter interview) that this year's offense is far less complex than last year's because we go no-huddle so much. No clue why we're seeing so much crap pre-snap.
This does lead one to think Facyson will also be cleared for a medical redshirt?
I'd hope so, he deserves another year because that sure wasn't the Facyson we saw last year.
Sucks for Us short term, great for long term! Get healthy and then make your decisions about the future, don't rush it! Best wishes for a full recovery!
if it wasn't for his possible NFL career Luther is the type of player I would want at TECH forever.
Are we sure this is going to get granted?
Probably unofficial at this point, but based on Andy Bitter's breakdown of the eligibility of players for a medical hardship (here)here it would seem that both Facyson and Maddy should qualify.
Definitely a big loss this year, though the defense has remained at a pretty high level. But the appropriate amount of time to rehab, get stronger, and hone his game will certainly benefit Maddy in the long run. And it certainly brings tons of promise for the defense next year. Obviously, I hope the surgery goes well and he qualifies and we see him in maroon and orange one more time putting pressure on Braxton Miller and the ACC QB's.
our d line is going to kick ass next year. it's scary for the remainder of this year but I'm hoping the young guys can step up. big lu is a great hokie Im sure he will still be a huge locker room presence.
it's scary for the remainder of this year
I actually think of right now, our d line is our most consistent unit. They bring their A game every week, despite Maddy's unfortunate situation. But yes, next year has to feel good
I meant depth wise, were just real thin and another injury I think could be real bad
The only players we're losing from the team that will start/play Miami on Thursday are Jarrett, Bonner, Gibson, Byrn, and Wang. If we can find some tackles and finish strong on the recruiting trail, this could be a very good team with experienced talent supplemented by talented freshmen (as opposed to relying on freshmen to do darn near everything themselves).
The thought of all the talent that is here to stay in Blacksburg has me excited for the next few seasons!
Hey, that's funny, posts from 2012 are showing up in this thread.
I already feel better about next year's D-line. I hope Maddy stay healthy next year and get a high draft pick for all his medical troubles. Go Hokies!
I feel like a Cubs fan.
I look at it like we just got the number one recruit in the country, but we only get him one year. There are NO defensive tackles in HS right now that will be better than Luther next year. And he's all ours. No drama, no de-committing, no qualification issues...
Oh yeah, that news is Mexican hat dance gone wrong time for me.
After getting his PhD we can call him Dr. Lu and he can go on to replace the Cajun coach from the waterboy (Holtz) on ESPN.
What is he saying?
I hope the surgery & rehab go great for LM and that he works as hard on his networking as on his football. All the players need to remember that lasts long after the game ends. Once the game ends, that's when life moves on. Hopefully he has many more years in the game, but in case he doesn't... Best of luck to Luther, he's a great Hokie.
I feel for Big Lu, this is tough. Glad to see he is looking forward optimistically and let's hope he makes a full recovery to be the player we know he is.
Optimistically, this gives our entire DT unit the opportunity to get experience. The depth at DT next year will be sick.
Big Lu, get better and come back and kick some ass next year. We'll all be waiting and cheering you on.
One more year of Maddy and Dadi is cool with me.