Ankle surgery sidelines Mizzou tight end Kendall Blanton for spring football

Missouri tight end Kendall Blanton will miss spring camp after undergoing a procedure on his ankle, a team spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

Blanton, a Blue Springs South graduate who will be a junior in the fall, underwent surgery last week to repair torn ligaments resulting from a sprained right ankle.

He was spotted wearing a protective boot on the foot and walking with crutches Tuesday at the Tigers men’s basketball game against No. 11 Kentucky at Mizzou Arena.

Blanton — who was limited to eight games, primarily in a special-teams capacity, as a redshirt freshman in 2015 — flashed immense potential during a breakout sophomore campaign.

He finished seventh on Mizzou with 16 catches and 161 yards last season, but his three touchdown receptions were tied for second and represent the most in a season by a Tigers tight end since 2011.

Blanton also was used as a halfback, lining up at a shallow depth in the backfield, improved by leaps and bounds as a blocker in his first full season seeing the field on offense.

While Blanton won’t be available for spring practice, which wraps up with the annual Black & Gold Game on April 15 at Memorial Stadium, but MU’s medical staff expects him to be ready for fall camp.

Jason Reese, who will be a senior in the fall and has 24 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns in his career, will be the only Tigers’ tight end with college experience in spring ball with Blanton’s absence.

It also will mean more reps for a pair of tight ends who redshirted last season, Brendan Scales and Albert Okwuegbunam.

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Ankle surgery sidelines Mizzou tight end Kendall Blanton for spring football."