Alabama tight end Miller Forristall Talks About Throat Injury

ORLANDO, Fla. — Alabama tight end Miller Forristall is looking to be cleared to play in Wednesday’s Citrus Bowl, according to the man himself.

The redshirt-junior, who hasn’t seen action in a game since sustaining a throat injury in the Arkansas game on Oct. 26, sounded very optimistic while speaking to the media at the annual Vrbo Citrus Bowl Day for Kids at the Fun Spot America theme park Monday morning.

“I broke my larynx and my hyoid bone in my throat so they had to go in and put a couple screws and a couple plates in on Monday [Oct.] 28, after the Arkansas game,” Forristall said. “I caught an elbow real funny about halfway through the first quarter and we just didn’t really know what it was until after the game. We went and got it taken care of.”

The Crimson Tide have had issues at the tight end position since Forristall sustained his injury, but with his potential return for the Citrus Bowl starting to seem imminent, Alabama should be back to full strength at the position.

Regarding the pain and his recovery, Forristall said that it wasn’t too serious and is grateful that it wasn’t as bad as he and the medical staff initially thought.

“It wasn’t too bad,” Forristall said. “My voice is gone by about the end of the game, but I was just very very blessed to end up in the situation how it ended up and how fantastic our staff ended up handling it after the game. It could have been a lot worse. I’m very blessed that the severity wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Anything surrounding your throat and airway, pre-surgery or post-surgery, is obviously stuff you worry about.

“I could speak within a couple of days. Eating was the worst part. I dropped a couple of pounds. We’re back and I’m really glad to be back with the team.”

Prior to his injury, Forristall accounted for 12 receptions and three touchdowns at the tight end position. Since his absence, the combined trio of freshman Jahleel Bilingsley, sophomore Major Tennison and senior Giles Amos have combined for only five receptions and a single touchdown by Tennison.

Earlier in December Alabama head coach Nick Saban offered his own update to Forristall and seemed quite positive back then as well.

“I think Miller Forristal probably has a good chance to come back and play in the game, just depends on how he responds to the activity and the contact,” Saban said.

If Forristall’s recovery is going as well as both he and Saban are claiming, then the veteran tight end is looking to be good to go against the Wolverines on New Year’s Day.

All-in-all, Forristall just seems happy to be able to finally participate in practice with his teammates.

“Someday I’ll be able to tell my kids about—in years to come—I played with some of the best to ever do it,” Forristall said. “Especially with the University of Alabama, to set records and win national championships and play in awesome bowl games like this one, there are memories that will last a lifetime that I’m extremely thankful for.”