Kalen DeBoer calls Jalen McMillan 'questionable' for Utah game
Washington put together their ninth straight win of the season on Saturday to remain undefeated outlasting USC 52-42 in Los Angeles on Saturday. And they did so again without star wide receiver Jalen McMillan.
McMillan has been battling a lower-body injury throughout the season, and on Monday, Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer provided an injury update on his wideout ahead of their marquee matchup with Utah this weekend.
“I would say Jalen will be questionable,” Deboer said. “There’s some things we’ll figure out here this week, understand better and more. Just trying to figure out what’s best for him, and I know he wants that and just some clarity too and just confirmation I guess, not clarity, but more conformation. But I’d say he’s questionable.”
McMillan led the Huskies in both receptions and touchdown receptions last season, ending the year with 79 catches for 1,098 yards and nine scores. But this season he’s only been able to record stats in three games for Huskies after sustaining a knee injury in Week 3 versus Michigan State.
And with his limited play this season in mind, DeBoer was also asked if McMillan being shut down for the remainder of the season was a possibility given his status.
“I mean as of right now I don’t think that’s what it is, we’ve brought him back, he’s just been really close. And we wouldn’t have brought him back if we didn’t feel he was there, because there is a long game picture even for this season that we were really hoping as far as his involvement,” DeBoer explained.
After missing two games with his injury McMillan returned for Washington’s matchup with Oregon, but only recorded seven snaps before reaggravating his knee. Then after missing one more game, he attempted to rejoin his teammates yet again versus Stanford only to see a similar result, leaving the game in the second quarter after being targeted once.
“But we wouldn’t have brought him back if we didn’t feel like he was ready, he wouldn’t have come back, our doctors wouldn’t have put him in that spot either. I’ve used it a couple times, just trying to get over the hump with him just to get to that next level to where he feels good about it, feels confident,” DeBoer said. “And again, he’s not that far away and so just I think getting confidence in what he’s feeling is a big piece of it too. I would hope that he’d be back here this season.”
Washington’s offense has been firing on all cylinders with and without McMillan in the lineup for them this season, but there’s no question that they’ll want him back during the home stretch of the season with their most important games of the season looming.