Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Shares Latest on David Mirkovic's Recovery

Mirkovic appears to be on the right track for a healthy return, per Underwood's latest update on Friday evening

Dec 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) drives the ball past Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It has been nearly two full months since sophomore Illinois forward David Mirkovic underwent surgery for a foot injury. Some initial reports foresaw an optimistic timeline that would have Mirkovic, a 2026-27 All-American candidate, returning to action around this time. 

Although that hasn't been the reality, Mirkovic does appear to be trending in the right direction. Illini coach Brad Underwood addressed the media on Friday evening in a press conference, and he offered the latest on Mirkovic:

Brad Underwood offers update on David Mirkovic's recovery

Apr 3, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with forward David Mirkovic (0) during a practice session ahead of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Obviously, [David] Mirkovic has been out with the foot and is slowly progressing his way back,” Underwood said. “[He is] doing a lot of stuff with [athletic trainer] Justin [Games] on the AlterG and the pools. He is doing some light individual work for about 20 minutes a day.

“He’ll have a further exam early next week. At this point in time, we will just take what the doctors tell us. There is no rush. The one thing we want to make sure that we do is don’t rush him back. We want to make sure that he’s healthy.

“It’s a long season. He had a fantastic summer. Was in great shape. He’s doing everything he can do, being as diligent as he can in terms of his recovery and his rehab.”

The Illini have made a habit of extending early-season injury timelines – and that isn’t a bad thing. (Also remember: Illinois still hasn’t offered an actual timetable for Mirkovic's return.) Last preseason, Andrej Stojakovic was battling a knee injury that seemed unlikely to affect any in-season action. He wound up missing the season opener.

Illinois has recently been extremely careful in these scenarios. And given that Mirkovic is the likely head of the snake for the Illini offensive attack in 2026-27, that caution may only be amplified.

His participation in individual workouts, even if it is “light” and only 20 minutes per day, is a thoroughly encouraging sign. But with the season opener against FDU on Nov. 2 now less than a month out, it's up in the air whether Mirkovic will be able to debut with the Illini for the official start of their season.

Even after his foot is fully healed, Mirkovic will need time to get his body back into game shape. And, similar to Stojakovic in his initial game with Illinois last season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mirkovic first come off the bench, as Underwood and his staff will probably want to slowly re-acclimate him to game action.

Illinois has two huge early-season tests – Nov. 10 at Texas Tech and Nov. 17 at Duke – and it would naturally be a massive plus to have Mirkovic back in action for those games. It's by no means a given that he will be back by then, but we can't rule it out just yet.