Recently, the Wisconsin Badgers football team was dealt a major blow as their starting linebacker and leading tackler from a year ago went down with an injury.
Maema Njongmeta, arguably the best defender on the Badgers team, suffered a severe hand injury during practice earlier this week. The linebacker has successfully undergone surgery on his injured hand. Now, the talented defender is expected to return to the field for the Badgers before the start of the 2023 season.
Wisconsin Badgers Football Expects Former Leading Tackler to Return Before Opening Game
The Wisconsin Badgers have just begun their camp as the team prepares for the upcoming season. Under new Head Coach Luke Fickell, the team is looking to prepare for a tough, competitive season against strong opponents. In order to accomplish this, the team and staff have not taken their foot off the gas this entire off-season to ensure they release the best product on the field.
However, when former leading tackler and defensive leader Maema Njongmeta suffered an injury, the doubts for this upcoming season began to swirl. After originally seeing Njongmeta on the sideline in a sling, it began to seem as though the starting linebacker could miss significant time with his injury. Coach Fickell updated Badgers fans recently by providing a quick recap of the injury and the outlook of the current situation.
Njongmeta suffered an injury to his hand that required surgery, after receiving multiple opinions. The linebacker has already completed the surgery and is now on the road to recovery. The Wisconsin football staff did not seem too worried about the situation and stated that they expect the powerful defender to return to camp shortly before the start of the season. The staff also ensured they would take the proper steps to return the veteran back to the field, even if that means potentially resting him for the season opener.
Maema Njongmeta Hoping to Replicate Same Success From ‘22 Season
By the time students and players alike reach campus, Njongmeta should be cleared to rejoin the team and begin practicing. However, Fickell ensured that all precautions will be taken to make sure that the star is not injured again. Njongmeta will wear a club around his surgically repaired hand once he returns to the field to properly protect him from potentially injuring his hand more.
The Wisconsin Badgers football team is set to host Buffalo to open their season, and by this time the veteran linebacker should be back to game speed. At this point in time, there is no indication as to whether or not Fickell will put Njongmeta on any sort of snap count when he returns to play.
A season ago, Njongmeta led the Badgers with 95 total tackles. The linebacker also added 3.5 sacks and an interception to his season stat line. Njongmeta proved last season that he has the capability to be an elite level defender. The talented linebacker hopes to replicate his success from the 2022 season this upcoming season under Coach Fickell.
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