The last time Alabama State football quarterback Andrew Body took the field for the Hornets was in Week 2's loss to Troy.
Late in the fourth quarter, Body sustained a wrist injury to his non-throwing arm while he was bracing himself going to the ground while being tackled. Since then, Body has kept his wrist in a hard cast while he continues to do work with Alabama State's strength and conditioning staff.
So why is Alabama A&M preparing for both Body and freshman QB Aaron Frye ahead of the Magic City Classic?
"We've got to anticipate him being available," Alabama A&M coach Sam Shade said Monday, Oct. 26 during the SWAC coaches media call.
In last year's Magic City Classic, Body had arguably his best performance of the 2025 season against Alabama A&M. Body threw for 304 yards with five passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. The Hornets went on to claim a 56-13 win over the Bulldogs in last year's Classic.
Alabama A&M currently is atop of the SWAC East standings, something it didn't have in last year's Magic City Classic. And Shade doesn't want to be burned by Body again if he is available.
"It's been a total of two weeks for him to get healthy and be ready to come back and play," Shade said. "Last year he had a monster game against us throwing and running, so you have to have a lot of respect for that possibility."
Shade confirmed that he didn't have any secret intel on whether or not Body was going to be available; he'd rather just be prepared than be sorry.
Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr. in the call later said Body would be seen by doctors this week to see how his wrist was healing, but didn't commit to Body being available for the Magic City Classic.
In Body's absence since suffering the wrist injury, it's been Frye leading the charge for Alabama State.
Under Frye, the Hornets have gone 2-2. But Shade has seen Frye improve each week, and he knows that he has the same attributes that Body has when it comes to both his arms and legs.
"Aaron Frye man, his body work has been good enough for them (Alabama State) to win some ball games and make some things happen on offense," Shade said. "So, we're preparing for both them. We're preparing for a talented Alabama State team."
Jaeden Day covers high school sports, Alabama State football and Auburn recruiting for the Montgomery Advertiser/USA Today. You can find him on X at dayjaeden12, or reach him at JDay@montgome.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Is Alabama A&M preparing for Andrew Body ahead of Magic City Classic?