Dr. James Andrews cleared senior cornerback Antone Exum for full participation on Monday. Virginia Tech trainer Mike Goforth released this statement on Tuesday.
"After eight months of right ACL reconstruction rehab, Antone Exum was cleared for full participation by Dr. James Andrews yesterday afternoon. He will return to practice this week without any restrictions and is expected to continue rehabilitation for the remainder of the season. His playing time for North Carolina and all future games will be determined by how well the right knee tolerates practices this week and how quickly he re-establishes pre-injury cardiovascular endurance and pre-injury skill levels."
TSL's Take: Exum has gotten a few reps in practice, but only in non-contact situations. He hasn't gone through a preseason like the other players on the team, and he hasn't played in a full-contact football game since late December. With Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson playing at a high level, Virginia Tech can afford to ease Exum back into things. I don't think he's quite ready to contribute at a high level on defense, but as he kicks off the rust and learns to trust his knee, he should be more effective as the weeks go by.