Alabama A&M Turner's knee on the mend

Reggie Benson, Huntsville Times

Darius Turner's surgically repaired left knee is getting better.

Turner, Alabama A&M's starting left tackle, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and underwent offseason surgery. Athletic trainer John Gaines has brought Turner back at a much slower pace, but it appears the 6-foot-5, 300-pound junior will be ready for next Saturday's season opener against Tennessee State.

"Things are going pretty good," Turner said Thursday after practice.

"I'm rehabbing every day. Everything is fine."

Because of his class schedule, Turner gets very little work on Tuesday and Thursday. He is able to make practice on Wednesday night.

"I have to go extremely hard that day," he said. "But I have to do extra work by myself to make sure I'm ready to play."

Eligibility issues remain unresolved: A&M coach Anthony Jones said Thursday he is still unsure who is eligible for next Saturday's season opener against Tennessee State.

Jones said he got a preliminary list on Thursday, but it didn't include everybody.

"A big portion of the kids were cleared, but there were some that were not on the list," he said. "When you're looking at 90 kids, I guess you're bound to miss a few. I don't have a complete list so I'm just going to wait."

Jones refused to identify or say how many players were in limbo, but he indicated earlier that wide receiver Anthony Mitchell, running back Max Martin and defensive back Jonathan McConico needed to clear up some things to be eligible.

With A&M's season opener a week away, Jones says it's time to start giving those players who are going to play the bulk of the reps.

"We'll look at it again (today) and make a decision on who's going to play in what capacity on Saturday and next week that's it," Jones said. "Tuesday, we're running with who we've got."

Winston expected back Tuesday: Defensive tackle David Winston, who sustained a back injury last week in the weight room, watched practice in street clothes Thursday.

Gaines said Winston's exam revealed that he had a joint out in his lower back and was instructed to take off the rest of the week.

Winston, who was slated to make his first start in the season opener, will try to practice again Tuesday.