Defensive back Jalen Geiger "looks fresh" following recovery from knee injury

It’s been nearly a full now year now since an illegal crack-back block ended Jalen Geiger‘s 2022 season just two games into the schedule. After appearing in all 13 games (including a pair of starts) as a redshirt sophomore in 2021, expectations were relatively high for the South Carolina native. He immediately tied his career-high with four tackles in the season-opener against Miami (OH) before suffering that needless knee injury the following weekend.

Geiger, now a redshirt senior, would sit out the remainder of the 2022 season and eventually underwent surgery to repair the damage, but with high hopes that he would be back better than ever in 2023. Although he was limited to watching from the sidelines last year, it allowed him to pay closer attention to the details he was observing from afar. He became a film room junkie and, thanks to a full recovery, is now in line for a starting position this fall.

“Since I couldn’t do nothing physical, I was really watching film and improving my football IQ,” Geiger said in April. “That’s all I could do was just watch and watch film. Things like that. Just learn the game more and more.”

Although it’s only been a handful of practices for the returning Geiger, he doesn’t appear to have skipped any beats so far. Expectations are going to be just as high for him as they were this time last year.

“He’s been moving around really good,” Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White said following Saturday’s practice, the fourth of the summer. “Obviously really excited to have him back. He looks fresh. A good first couple of days. It hasn’t seemed to have any residual effect. We’ll put some pads on him, see how that load goes. We’ve been really smart and conscious about how we’ve progressed that. But I expect big things from him this year.”

#PICKSIX @jalengeiger! Making his first career start today too.

📺 – ESPN2 – https://t.co/VIok8hFVgx pic.twitter.com/Tce0zmSOcU

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 14, 2021

“I feel good man, I’m feeling great. I feel better than I did before the injury,” Geiger told Jeff Drummond of Cats Illustrated on Friday. “I feel faster, stronger, and definitely a lot smarter — having that time off, in the film room a lot.”

Through four seasons in Lexington, Geiger has made 24 appearances for the Wildcats, most of them coming as a redshirt sophomore in 2021. He’s recorded a total of 30 tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception that went for a touchdown, which he later called the easiest pick-6 of his life. Spending nearly a full year away from football was unusual for the talented defensive back. But he used it as a learning opportunity and is eager to pick back up right where he left off.

“This was my first injury ever in my career,” Geiger said in the spring. “This was the first time I missed a game, a practice, so it was real different for me. But I knew I had to go past that and be there for the young guys and step up for them.”