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BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech cornerback Antone Exum will miss Monday night’s opening practice due to a scheduled follow-up appointment with famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Exum traveled to Pensacola, Fla., to meet with the doctor about his knee, a knee he injured in January and had operated on by Andrews on Feb. 5. The senior tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral and medial meniscus and suffered a broken bone in his right knee playing pickup basketball on campus.

“Antone Exum reported to Dr. Andrews today for a follow-up,” said Mike Goforth, Associate Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine. “Upon exam, he still feels like Antone is a little ways away, strength-wise and trusting the knee. They recommended increasing certain exercises and re-testing in two months.”

Exum will return to Blacksburg on Wednesday.

“I’d like to see him go out there and do some individual drills, but he’ll have no contact with other guys,” Goforth said. “Individual periods are the best sports-specific rehab we can do, but he won’t be in any team-type stuff. Maybe we can get him in some team scout, but no team varsity or scrimmages.”

Exum, who missed all of spring practice, spent a month this summer in Arizona at the Fischer Sports Training Facility rehabilitating the knee.

“At least we know you’ve got a timetable,” Tech defensive secondary coach Torrian Gray said before practice Monday. “They’re saying two months. If we get him healthy for the rest of the season, and the start ACC play, it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

Exum was an All-ACC selection last year, leading the team in interceptions with five. In his place, freshman Brandon Facyson and sophomore Donaldven Manning are listed as co-starters at the cornerback spot.

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