Florida State loses starting wide receiver for the foreseeable future following hip surgery
Head Coach Mike Norvell began practice on Monday by announcing that Florida State would be without wide receiver Mycah Pittman, offensive tackle Robert Scott, cornerback Kevin Knowles II, defensive end Aaron Hester, and defensive tackle Malcolm Ray for the entirety of the spring.
In the case of Pittman, one of Florida State's top returning skill players and a starting wide receiver in 2022, an injury could keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
On Saturday, Pittman, a popular YouTube personality, released a video detailing that he had suffered a 'completely' torn labrum in his hip and that he would be out for four to six months while recovering.
“Your boy is going to be out for four to six months,” Pittman said. “I do not know if I will be able to make it back during the season but we have a great training staff and we have great people around me that’s going to help me try and get back.”
"We found out after the season, about two to three months later, we tried a bunch of rehab on my hip and I played through the whole season with it. It was tough so we thought it was a strain for the longest time," Pittman continued. "There was a lot of clicking, a lot of stuff that was going on in my hip that didn't feel right. If I would've known I had this injury, I still would've played throughout the season with it but obviously my long-term health, it wouldn't be good for me."
The Tampa native deduced that the injury originally occurred back in August during Florida State's fall camp. At one point, he felt a pop during a practice but thought it was a hip strain at the time. Pittman chose to play through the injury after getting a couple of injections.
"I did tear my labrum, guys. I tore it in fall camp, I'm almost 100% certain I did. I popped it in fall camp and I sat out for one practice. Then, we had like two days off from our practices, that was after we went all the way to Jacksonville to do practice," Pittman said. "Then we got some shots to make myself feel a little bit better. We thought that would help with my hip and the injections and stuff like that. Moral of the story was I decided to play throughout the season with it, thinking it was a hip strain most of the time. I ended up having a labrum tear in my left hip. Surgery will be taking place actually on Tuesday."
Despite the ailment, Pittman ended up appearing in all 13 games, with seven starts, for the Seminoles last season. He caught a career-high 32 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns through the air while rushing seven times for 35 yards. Pittman also provided stability and consistency as a punt returner, something FSU had missed in previous years. He returned 18 punts for 169 yards (9.4) yards per return.
At the conclusion of the season, he was presented with the Crenshaw Award during Florida State's banquet ceremony, which is awarded by the Tallahassee QB Club to the offensive player with the most heart. He was a co-honoree for the award alongside tight end Cam McDonald.
"It was tough but football is football. If you love football, you're going to get through a lot of things that you don't want to get through because it's your livelihood," Pittman said. "I knew there was something wrong because I could never lift my leg up the way I wanted to during the whole season. Tell yourself you're okay and you trick your brain, and you say I'm fine, knowing you're not ok but I was able to trick myself to get through that whole season.
This is the third surgery that Pittman has had as a result of an injury that he suffered while playing football. He also dealt with a broken arm and collarbone at Oregon. During his four years at the college level, Pittman has caught 70 passes for 877 yards with five touchdowns. He spent the first three seasons of his career at Oregon.
A timeline of four to six months puts Pittman's projected return at August to October. That means he could get back on the field by the beginning of the season depending on how his rehab goes. Remember, he suffered a complete tear of his hip labrum, not. a partial tear, which could lead to a longer road back.
The Seminoles will work on mitigating the loss of Pittman this spring. The top two options to take over his role are redshirt senior Winston Wright and redshirt junior Ja'Khi Douglas. Wright is working his way back from a leg injury that kept him out in 2022 while Douglas returned midseason after an injury he suffered in fall camp. It wouldn't be a surprise to see redshirt junior Darion Williamson get a look in the slot as well.
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