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Gophers receiver Chris Autman-Bell leaning toward returning in 2023

andy greder, pioneer press
·3 min read

The Gophers football team has missed No. 1 receiver Chris Autman-Bell since he went down with a season-ending knee injury in September. But the sixth-year senior isn’t ready to say goodbye to Minnesota just yet.

“I will probably end up coming back” in 2023, Autman-Bell said this week on the Go Gopher Podcast with Mike Grimm. “… I don’t think it’s anything I can hide or anything. Pretty sure people already know I’m probably coming back. It’s the best idea, the best thing to do.”

Autman-Bell’s season-ending knee injury in the season’s third game falls within the NCAA window for him to be granted another year of eligibility as a medical redshirt. The U cannot file the waiver until after the season finishes, and perhaps that is a timeframe for Autman-Bell to make a final decision.

Mo Ibrahim, for example, said he was coming back for a sixth season last November.

Autman-Bell has a degree in youth studies and one masters degree, but the Kankakee, Ill., native holds onto the dream of playing in the NFL. The option for a medical redshirt keeps that alive. Scouts believe going through rehab and proving he can play at a high level next year is his best road to the NFL.

“I had that (medical redshirt) in the back of my head because I had a lot of doubt, a lot of worry because I knew no NFL team would take (a player with) a bum knee and a guy with not as many stats,” Autman-Bell said on the podcast.

Autman-Bell had surgery on his knee in late September and has started the long rehab process within the U’s Larson Football Performance Center. He has been at team practices, helping coach the rest of the receiver corps. He has 125 career receptions for 1,970 yards and 13 touchdowns has been durable outside of the knee injury and an preseason ankle injury in 2021 that cost him two games.

He has played in 46 total games since 2018.

Autman-Bell also told Grimm about some things to look forward to next year, including road games at North Carolina in September and at Ohio State in November. “I can hopefully finish out next season the right way and go through a full season,” he said. “I see the schedule for next season, it’s pretty exciting to go to these places and playing these teams. It’s awesome.”

The senior also said the Gopher program has changed his mind-set, revealing that he felt suicidal in 2019 while contributing to the U’s dream 11-2 season with 28 receptions, 371 yards and five touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore. He told Grimm he is in a good place with his mental health now and credited the U program’s emphasis on serving and giving in the community, focus on academics and social life while also emphasizing the big picture.

On the podcast, Autman-Bell said he could pursue a career working with kids or go into fashion with the help of his retail merchandising degree. He was positive on his future both within football and away from the game.

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