Arkansas junior defensive end Nico Davillier will have surgery Monday afternoon to repair cartilage in his knee, head coach Sam Pittman announced Monday morning.
Pittman said the Razorbacks won't know Davillier's status until after the surgery, but the pass-rusher definitely won't be back for Saturday's game against Missouri.
"He’s got a cartilage, and we don’t know — they can never tell you whether it’s repairable or whether they trim it," Pittman said Monday. "They’re repairing more cartilages than what they used to.
"Obviously, if they’re able to do that...he’s going to have his surgery this afternoon, and we really won’t know whether it’s a trim, which could get him back for the bowl game, or if it’s a repair, which is about a five-month full recovery.
The former four-star from Maumelle did not play in Arkansas' 35-14 win over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, which Pittman clarified after the game was due to a knee injury that was "looked at" Friday night.
This season, Davillier has recorded 23 total tackles, eight solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 10 games and six starts. According to Pro Football Focus, Davillier has a 66.8 overall defensive grade with a 67.6 pass-rush mark.
Davillier's best performance came against Auburn on Sept. 21, when he made one tackle, one tackle for loss and one sack. He racked up a season-high five tackles against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Aug. 29 and another five tackles against Mississippi State on Oct. 26.
In two seasons prior, Davillier played a total of 24 games and finished with 11 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack in that span.
