Missed him? Canes’ Navaughn Donaldson returns from injury, immediately sets up TD at Duke

David Wilson
·2 min read

How much did the Miami Hurricanes miss Navuaghn Donaldson?

Just ask Cam’Ron Harris, who scored one of Miami’s easiest touchdowns of the season in the first quarter against the Duke Blue Devils by running through a massive hole opened up by the offensive lineman.

Donaldson, who hadn’t played since the final game of the regular season last year against Duke, finally made his 2020 debut in the first quarter Saturday in Durham, North Carolina. He didn’t start, but he entered at some point in the No. 9 Hurricanes’ first four drives as a reserve left guard and was on the field for Harris’ 34-yard touchdown run with 1:15 left in the quarter.

On the touchdown play, Donaldson helped clear out the giant hole by pushing his man inside and sealing off the edge for Harris to find the end zone unscathed.

The senior started all 12 regular-season games for Miami last year before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. He missed the Hurricanes’ Independence Bowl loss to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and sat out Miami’s spring practices as he recovered from the injury. In June, Donaldson announced his intentions to redshirt this season, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the NCAA to give every player an extra year of eligiblity, meaning Donaldson would be able to play as many games as he wanted this year and still return in 2021.

The Hurricanes exercised caution with the veteran, though, and he only got cleared for contact in October. Coach Manny Diaz said he was available for Miami as its sixth offensive lineman last month against the Virginia Tech Hokies as the Hurricanes were shorthanded because of COVID-related issues, which eventually forced the Hurricanes to postpone two games in November.

While Donaldson has been up and down at times throughout his career in Coral Gables, he’s still one of the most experienced lineman on the roster -- and one of Miami’s most talented. Donaldson was a top-100 overall recruit at Miami Central, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2017, and immediately stepped in as the Hurricanes’ starting right guard as a freshman. He has also played some tackle for Miami and started 34 games across his first three seasons.