Former Ute Julian Blackmon removed from Active/Non-Football Injury List

It's been a long road to recover for former Utah defensive back Julian Blackmon — but he's now preparing for the upcoming season after being removed from Active/Non-Football Injury List

One of the toughest journey's of Julian Blackmon's like is coming to a close.

When Blackmon collapsed to the ground in early December grabbing his knee in the Pac-12 championship game, nobody knew what to expect.

The noncontact injury looked severe and almost everybody assumed it was a torn ACL from the way he fell. Those fears were confirmed and it meant that Blackmon wouldn't only miss his final game as a Ute, he'd miss the biggest test of his life at the NFL combine while recovering from surgery.

None of that stopped the Indianapolis Colts from drafting Blackmon with the No. 85 overall pick in the third round.

Welcome to Indy, @JumpManJuice23! #ColtsDraft pic.twitter.com/w6YSTiIjcy

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 25, 2020

“The first thing that pops off the tape right there is his ability to take the football away. So when you have that ability, you are what we call a game-changer,” said Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. “You are a guy that can help us win football games by taking the football away. So that is number one.”

Matt Terpening, Indianapolis’ assistant director of college scouting, also talked about what made Blackmon so appealing, particularly his choice to return to college for his senior season and play safety.

“Julian is really unique. So as a junior last year, he actually thought about coming out, he played corner, and he decided to stay in school, which was the right move for him,” Terpening said. “They (Utah) moved him to safety. And he just had a lights-out season, lights-out senior season. He really jumps off tape. He’s got versatility. He’s got speed. And he can cover.”

Blackmon has officially been removed from the Active/Non-Football Injury List — which means that he's joining the team during drills and should be playing this fall.

That's huge news for Blackmon and the Colts, as he's expected to be a big part of Indianapolis' future in the defensive backfield.

Blackmon was a three-time all-Pac-12 performer and a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated, The Athletic and Pro Football Focus — also named a second-team All-American from the Associated Press, USA Today and AFCA, this past season.

He earned Pac-12 honors as a cornerback in 2017 and 2018 before transitioning to safety as a senior to help the Utes fill a void at the position, where he again earned all Pac-12 honors.

Right now the Colts don't have an opening at safety as Malik Hooker, a 2017 first-rounder, and second-year pro Khari Willis are locking down both spots. But Hooker's fifth-year option wasn't picked up following this season, meaning that Hooker will be a free agent. If Hooker leaves in free agency, that would then free up a starting spot heading into the 2021 season.

Hooker has shown flashes of great play but has been inconsistent to the point that Ballard was listening to trade offers for him, according to numerous reports.

Once healthy and how Blackmon responds on the field will be huge to him taking over as a starter in 2021. If Blackmon can prove that he's ready excel at this level, there's a likely chance that Hooker will be gone and Blackmon will enter next season as a starter.

But throughout training camp, the brightest Blackmon's shone was during the annual rookie hazing day. 

Each rookie had to perform a song during a recent team meeting and Blackmon stole the show with his rendition of Michael Jackson's "PYT" — a song from Jackson's iconic "Thriller" album released in 1982.

Apparently the song was such a hit with teammates (who put it out on social media) and fans, that people were commenting all over Twitter, asking for the full version.

Back by popular demand…

The vocal stylings of @JumpManJu32. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/3vVdZhH24E

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 16, 2020

Want to share opinions or ask questions? We want to hear them! Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:

Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka