Notre Dame getting WR Floyd back
Michael Floyd Injury Update
Notre Dame star receiver Michael Floyd has recovered from his broken collarbone and should play this week against Navy, coach Charlie Weis said.
Floyd was cleared by doctors Monday night. Weis said he left the decision to return to the field up to Floyd once the tests came back positive, and Floyd then consulted with his mother.
"He came back and said he was ready to go," Weis said. "It wasn't too long before I was already getting a text from No. 7 [quarterback Jimmy Clausen]. He might have been just as happy as No. 3 [Floyd]."
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Floyd had 13 catches for 358 yards and five touchdowns before getting hurt early in the third game of the season, against Michigan State.
Floyd, who had a plate placed on the bone the next day, was "hooting and hollering going down the steps" after receiving the news Monday night that he was cleared to play, Weis said Tuesday.
Floyd was leading the nation in receiving yards at 160 per game at the time of his injury. His return gives the Irish perhaps the best one-two punch at wideout in the country, with Golden Tate developing into a star in Floyd's absence.
Weis said Floyd would likely play sparingly against Navy but that the collarbone is fully healed and doesn't need any extra protection. Doctors, including noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews of Alabama, said Floyd's collarbone had healed enough to play.
"The biggest thing that he's going to have to happen is get tackled once," Weis said. "He'll get hit in practice some, but I doubt we're going to try him out in practice, see how that shoulder feels getting tackled. We're going to have to wait and find that out as it happens in a game."
The injury news isn't all good for Notre Dame. Backup quarterback Dayne Crist suffered a torn ACL against Washington State and will have surgery on Friday.
Senior Evan Sharpley now will be No. 2 behind Clausen, and receiver John Goodman will take snaps as the third-string quarterback.
"He really won't be getting any reps there because Sharpley needs to get all the reps we can give him to have him ready to go," Weis said.
The bigger concern for the Irish might be next spring -- so long as Clausen, who has been hobbled by turf toe on his right foot since the Michigan State game, remains healthy. Clausen is second in the nation with a pass efficiency rating of 164.25 and there is speculation he could turn pro after his junior season, although he has said he hasn't thought about that yet.
Weis has said he and Clausen have agreed to wait until the first week of December to talk about the NFL. But if he does turn pro and Crist takes six months to recover, the Irish wouldn't have a quarterback on scholarship unless a recruit enrolls in January.
The team also said defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore is probable against Navy, right guard Trevor Robinson is doubtful and tailback Armando Allen Jr. is day to day. All three have sprained ankles. Reserve tight end Bobby Burger (neck) remains out.
Brian Bennett covers college football for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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