Jayden Quaintance gives an update on his injury rehab

Quaintance says he’s still hopeful of being back by September.

Jayden Quaintance, the Kentucky Wildcats‘ projected starting center, missed the final weeks of last season at Arizona State due to a torn ACL suffered in March.

On Tuesday, Quaintance gave an update on his injury, rehab, and a possible return date on the Aaron Torres podcast.

Torres asked Quaintance about his return timeframe, and Quaintance reiterated he hopes to be back to full contact by September.

“I’m trying to get fully back by September,” he said. “Playing like full contact by September, so that’s the goal so far. Just trying to stay on pace for that.”

Torres also asked Quaintance if he would be ready for the opening part of the season when the games start to matter. His answer was a confident “Definitely.”

On a separate episode of his podcast, Torres gave his own update on Quaintance’s rehab.

“My understanding is that, barring something surprising, he’ll be cleared to return to the court mid-late August and be ready for 5-on-5 in September,” Torres said.

Since committing to Kentucky, the former Sun Devil has continuously said he’s doing well in rehab and will be ready for the start of the Wildcats’ season. This latest update only reinforces that belief.

Quaintance started all 24 games he played for the Sun Devils last season before his injury, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.

If healthy, the 6-foot-9 big man will be a force to be reckoned with in the paint on both sides of the floor this upcoming season.