Kansas QB Michael Cummings to have knee surgery after spring-game injury

In the minutes before halftime on Saturday afternoon, Kansas quarterback Michael Cummings limped to the locker room at Memorial Stadium, a heavy wrap encasing his left knee. He moved slowly, an emotionless expression on his face.

There are few ways for a college football program to lose its spring game, but KU found one on Saturday. Cummings, who suffered the knee injury during the second quarter, will require surgery and is expected to be sidelined for an extended period of time, KU coach David Beaty said on Monday morning.

In a statement, Beaty did not disclose the specific injury. He also did not provide a timetable for recovery.

“Michael sustained a left knee injury that is going to require surgery,” Beaty said. “Following his surgery he will work diligently, alongside our medical staff, to get back to the field as quickly as possible.”

If the knee injury is significant — such as a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament — Cummings could face a recovery timeline of six months or more. The Jayhawks’ season opener is Sept. 5 against South Dakota State, just more than four months away.

Cummings was injured Saturday after being hit low during the second quarter of the Jayhawks’ spring game. While scrambling downfield, Cummings absorbed a blow from walk-on safety Michael Glatczak. Cummings was helped off the field and limped to the locker room under his own power.

Beaty characterized the injury as a “freak accident.”

“I have reviewed the film from Saturday and Michael Glatczak was being blocked down the field and had his back to the action for almost the entire play,” Beaty said. “At the last second he turned to make the tackle without having any idea who was carrying the ball. He is a great kid, a great teammate and again, it was just a very unfortunate accident.”

This spring, Cummings, a fifth-year senior and the incumbent starter, was part of an open quarterback competition that also featured juniors Montell Cozart and T.J. Millweard. This summer, Kansas will also add true freshman quarterbacks Ryan Willis, a Bishop Miege graduate, and Carter Stanley of Vero Beach, Fla.

Cummings completed four of eight passes for 43 yards Saturday before being injured. Cozart was 16 of 26 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Millweard was two of eight while playing for the second-string “White” squad. The injury to Cummings — and his subsequent recovery — adds another layer of intrigue to a quarterback unit with many moving parts. Under a first-year coach and offensive coordinator, the Jayhawks are installing a new Air Raid-styled offense.

At the very least, Cummings, a native of Killeen, Texas, provided a veteran option. He threw for 1,715 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014, stirring a passing attack that had plodded along for the better part of three seasons. His measurable success was relative, of course. While starting the last seven games, he completed 56.8 percent of his passes. He threw for nine touchdowns and also tossed six interceptions. The Jayhawks finished 3-9, with Cummings leading the Jayhawks to their only Big 12 victory against Iowa State.

The quarterback race will now likely remain open until preseason camp. The injury to Cummings could crack open a door for Cozart or one of the two freshmen. Cozart, a Bishop Miege grad who began last season as the starter, completed just 50 percent of his passes before being replaced by Cummings.

Willis, a local product, is a three-star prospect who was rated as the nation’s 16th-best pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com. Listed at 6 feet 4 and 201 pounds, Willis was a regular spectator during KU’s spring practices. Stanley, meanwhile, was a late addition to the 2015 class. A dual-threat quarterback with experience in an Air Raid system, Stanley is a two-star prospect who also had a scholarship offer from Connecticut.

This story was originally published April 27, 2015 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Kansas QB Michael Cummings to have knee surgery after spring-game injury."