Corey Flagg addresses how foot injury limited him during spring practice

Miami Hurricanes linebacker Corey Flagg has been a full participant during Fall camp after missing much of the spring dealing with a lingering foot injury. That injury limited his time on the field, but allowed him to polish his game in other areas.

On Wednesday, Flagg highlighted the benefits of having to sit out the spring recovering. Also, he thanked head coach Mario Cristobal and his medical staff for their assistance in his recovery.

“Yeah, so they took care of me a lot during the spring. They kept me off my feet, and I thank Coach Cristobal and his training staff for that,” said Flagg. “I came in every day; I attacked rehab like it was practice and studied the playbook during the spring. I had to get my foot healthy because last year it wasn’t where I wanted to be at, and it affected my game.”

During the offseason, Flagg’s recovery wasn’t the only thing happening in the Miami linebacker group. The Hurricanes brought in some serious talent to compete for reps this season in 2023. That has muddled the Miami depth chart a bit and put Flagg in a position where he could see fewer snaps than in seasons prior. But still, the senior middle linebacker loves the additions in his position group because it allows him to compete and go even harder during Fall camp.

“Now I’m feeling like 100 percent, and I’m just getting back to my old self. And I can’t thank coach D-Nic (Derek Nicholson) enough for pushing me and bringing in guys like Kiko and KJ so I can compete,” said Flagg. “Because at the end of the day, I’m competing with not just them but guys all over the country. So bringing guys like that, long, lengthy guys, prototype NFL linebackers, I can compete with every day. I love it.”

Last season, Flagg played in 11 of their twelve games at Miami. Still, his production was limited due to his foot injury. He finished the season with 56 total tackles, 34 solo, 10.5 tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.

With Flagg healthy and ready to go this season, the Hurricane senior linebacker is poised to improve his production. And competing for snaps against incoming transfers at linebacker KJ Cloyd from Louisville and Francisco Mauigoa from Washington State will only help him sharpen his skills in preparation for the 2023 season.