One of the top returning members of Auburn’s receiving corps should be primed to give that group a midseason boost, Gus Malzahn stated Thursday.
In late March, Will Hastings underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL he sustained earlier in spring practice. At his SEC Media Days appearance, Malzahn revealed that the Tigers expect the junior wide receiver to return at some point around the middle portion of the upcoming season.
“He’s off to a very good start,” said the head coach by way of ESPN.com. “His rehab is going excellent. We’re hoping we get him back by the middle of the season.”
Last season, Hastings was third on the Tigers in receiving yards with 525 and receiving touchdowns with four, with his 26 receptions good for fourth on the team.
Auburn will be without another receiver to begin the year as well as Eli Stove is rehabbing his own torn ACL. Malzahn gave no indication as to even a general timetable for Stove’s return.
As a sophomore in 2017, Stove caught 29 passes for 265 yards, the former total which tied him for second on the team.