Wan'Dale Robinson undergoes successful surgery for torn ACL

Step one of the recovery process has taken place for Wan’Dale Robinson, with the New York Giants rookie receiver undergoing successful knee surgery to replace a torn ACL on Tuesday.

The former Wildcat superstar provided an update on his status shortly after the procedure, promising fans he’ll be “coming back stronger than ever.”

surgery ✅
coming back stronger than ever.. promise that..

— Wan’Dale Robinson (@wanda1erobinson) December 14, 2022

Robinson shared a few images from his time at the hospital following the “wicked” procedure:

Robinson suffered the knee injury in the fourth quarter of New York’s 31-18 loss vs. the Detroit Lions back on November 20. It was the rookie receiver’s best game of his debut season with the Giants, catching nine passes for 100 yards — the first 100-yard game of his career.

Injuries sidelined Robinson for four games to open the season, starting with a strained patella in his first game, followed by a hamstring issue. He would finish the year with a total of 227 receiving yards and a touchdown on 23 total catches.

The 5-foot-8 wide receiver was selected in the second round at No. 43 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was the first of four Wildcats selected, followed by Josh Paschal (Detroit Lions, second round), Luke Fortner (Jacksonville Jaguars, third round) and Darian Kinnard (Kansas City Chiefs, fifth round).

In three college seasons — two at Nebraska and one at Kentucky — Robinson racked up 2,2448 yards and ten touchdowns to go with 691 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. During his lone season at Kentucky, he caught a school record 104 receptions for 1,334 yards to go with seven touchdowns, rankings fourth nationally and second in the SEC in receptions per game (8.0).

He became the sixth player in SEC history to catch at least 100 passes in a season and had six 100-yard games, good for second on UK’s single-season list. He joined Randall Cobb as the only players in school history with multiple games of at least 12 receptions. Robinson finished his career as MVP of the Vrbo Citrus Bowl after setting Kentucky bowl records with 10 receptions for 170 yards vs. Iowa.

His debut season in the NFL was cut short, but he showed glimpses of potential stardom in the future with the Giants. Now, it’s time to turn this minor setback into a major comeback. Surgery was a significant first step.