Suspended for Minnesota’s bowl game, Andre McDonald then missed spring practice and left school for what was only described as “personal reasons.”
With the start of summer camp less than two months away, though, the wide receiver appears to be slowly emerging from his coach’s doghouse.
Speaking to the St. Paul Pioneer Press Thursday, Jerry Kill confirmed that McDonald is enrolled in summer school at UM and is working out (whether that’s with his teammates is unclear). While stopping far short of guaranteeing a return, the head coach said he’s “cautiously optimistic” the Gophers will have the talented receiver at their disposal once camp rolls around.
“I’m not going to tell everybody his situation,” Kill told the Pioneer Press. “But I will tell you that Andre is in summer school right now working out. I feel cautiously optimistic he’ll be ready to go.”
McDonald was a three-star member of the Gophers’ 2012 recruiting class, rated as the No. 3 player in the state of Minnesota that year. Plagued by a minor heart problem early in the year, McDonald played in eight games his true freshman season. He caught 10 passes for 121 yards before being suspended for the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas for a violation of unspecified team rules.