FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas receiver Keon Hatcher had a followup procedure on his broken left foot last weekend and should be back at full speed in June, Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said on Thursday.
Hatcher, who broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot during a loss to Toledo last Sept. 12, missed the rest of the season while rehabbing the injury.
Bielema said he experienced soreness during the final days of spring drills and the decision was made to re-visit the injury.
"We went back in and looked at it," Bielema said on Thursday's SEC West coaches teleconference. "All they did was basically took the procedure that was done before and reinforced it. But what they really wanted to do was put some bone graft in around it to cure it and make it even stronger for him moving forward.
"It wasn't another fracture. It wasn't another big procedure. It was something that was there to strengthen the one in the past."
Hatcher had posted a picture of his left foot and a scooter on social media on Sunday evening, saying he had undergone another surgery, but there was no further information.
Bielema said team doctors have told him Hatcher should need four to six weeks to recover from the latest operation.
"We have a three-week discretionary period here and he should be with us full-time in June and do everything functionally for sure by fall camp," Bielema said.
Hatcher had compiled 15 catches for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns through two games last fall. The Arkansas receiving corps filled in admirably in his absence.
Hatcher, considered one of the team's most respected leaders by Bielema, is part of a deep senior class of receivers that also includes Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed and Cody Hollister.