Francis Has Another Surgery, Will Miss Senior Season

Nearly a year to the date he committed to North Carolina, Jeremiah Francis has learned he will miss his senior season at Pickerington (OH) Central High School, just as he did his junior campaign.

Since Francis committed to the Tar Heels, he’s now had two knee surgeries, the most recent coming Tuesday at UNC’s hospital in Chapel Hill. The microfracture surgery means he won’t play this coming season, as his recovery time is between 6-9 months, he told THI.

To say this is a difficult time for Francis would be an understatement, but he’s getting plenty of support from people hoping to lift his spirits, including UNC Coach Roy Williams.

“Coach just said he’s been praying for (me),” Francis said. “I won’t be playing my senior season - my spirits are doing okay. I’ve been getting a lot of support from my friends and everybody. I will be fine.”

Not long ago, it appeared things were improving for Francis. He was working out in Houston when he started feeling some discomfort, which turned into pain. He offered an explanation for why this problem has become persistent.

“My knee caps sit pretty high for an average person, and they did a realignment on my knee to get it into the correct groove and also did a micro fracture,” he said.

While the news is bad, Francis is looking ahead. He’s connecting what was going well with what can happen again down the road to fuel his spirits.

“I’ve been mobile and working past months,” he said. “Just had to get this surgery done to better my future.”