Middle linebacker Dan Mason had a highly-publicized injury during the game against the Miami Hurricanes last season. He ended up missing the rest of the season and while it was hoped he could possibly return this year, it was looking like an uphill battle.
Head coach Todd Graham said earlier this year that Mason wasn’t day-to-day or week-to-week … but month-to-month.
Later in the year, Graham thought that Mason was getting better – so much so that he thought could possibly be ready for Pitt’s opener against Buffalo:
“If any kid can do it, he can do it,” Graham said. “He tells me every day he’s going to get there. He’s progressing, but if we had a game today, he wouldn’t be able to play.”
When asked whether he had hope Mason would be ready in time for the season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 3, Graham said, “I think he will be, and he thinks he will be, but the medical people are not so sure. He has got a lot of work to do to strengthen the leg. I believe he can do it.”
But on Monday during fall camp, Mason was apparently not on the field. It seemed like a long shot to me, anyway, but Mason getting back by the opener probably isn’t realistic just because he’s not been able to practice.
For more on fall camp, visit SB Nation’s Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill.