College Football Injury Report: Week 1
The Week One injury report is here. See which players are out, doubtful and probable for their season openers of the 2017 college football season.
The 2017 college football season is quickly approaching, however, injuries could keep that happening for some players. The Week One college football injury report is in and it doesn’t look good for some teams.
After so much anticipation and preparation, sometimes things doesn’t always go the way we want them to. Whether it’s bad timing or bad luck, injuries tend to happen and as a result, deter some of the progress players have built.
In some key games, the injuries certainly matter as well. “Next man up” mentality only carries some teams so far in the college football ranks. Some teams don’t always have the luxury of falling back onto talent upon talent.
Here’s an early look at some injuries that could affect the outcome of some games in the early going.
The Louisville Cardinals offense will take a hit in 2017 with the loss of wide receiver Devante Peete. Peete was lost to a torn ACL injury he suffered in practice over the summer. The injury will put him out for the rest of the 2017 season.
The 6-foot-6 receiver was set to play a bigger role in the Cardinals’ offense after catching four passes for 70 yards in 2016. His plans will have to be put on hold after the devastating injury. Now, quarterback Lamar Jackson will have to look to his other receivers to pick up the slack.
The Florida Gators are having a scenario where “adding insult to injury” takes on bigger meaning. After suspending 10 players for the season opener, the team will certainly feel the loss of safety Marcell Harris a whole lot more. Harris was lost this past summer to a torn Achilles’ tendon injury and will sit out the 2017 season.
The senior safety led the Gators in tackles last season with a team-high 73. He was one of three players to attend the SEC Media Days as a Florida representative. His presence will certainly be missed on a defense that now returns just two starters from 2017.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive tackle Elijah Taylor has still yet to recover from an injury he suffered in spring practice. He appeared in four games in 2016, recording four tackles.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound junior suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot this past spring and still has yet to recover from it. As a result, the team has ruled him out for the season opener.
Taylor could miss more time but for now, it’s just the season opener against the Temple Owls. There’s been a bit of confusion with Taylor’s recovery since it happened. Hopefully, he’ll only have to sit one game out but getting him to optimal health is the priority here.
LSU Tigers linebacker Arden Key is another player who won’t be ready for the season opener. Key is currently listed as out for the Tigers game against the BYU Cougars as he recovers from a shoulder injury.
Key missed much of spring practice with the same injury. He participated in noncontact drills for much of the week. As a result, freshman Ray Thornton, Andre Anthony or K’Lavon Chaisson all have an opportunity to start in place of Key. Key racked up 55 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks for LSU in 2016.
Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards is currently listed as doubtful for the team’s season opener against Bethune-Cookman Wildcats with a hamstring injury. The good news for Richards is the Hurricanes offense shouldn’t have much of an issue breaking in quarterback Malik Rosier against the Wildcats.
With Richards sidelined, Lawrence Cager, Jeff Thomas and DeeJay Dallas are slated to get extra reps in his place. Richards broke Michael Irvin’s 31-year-old freshman record for receiving yards last season. He caught 49 receptions for 934 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2016.
The Texas Longhorns suffered another setback with Chris Warren III this offseason when he suffered a concussion in practice. Warren III already missed time in 2016 with a season-ending knee injury. He is currently listed as probable for the team’s matchup against the Maryland Terrapins.
As he battles to get back on the field, coaches are talking all the necessary precautions with Warren. He rushed for 366 rushing yards and three touchdowns last season. Sophomore Kyle Porter will most likely receive more reps this week as well as true freshman Toneil Carter and Daniel Young.
Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Malkom Parrish is arguably the team’s best defensive player. So it wasn’t a good sign when teammates and the coaching staff saw him go down recently with a foot injury. The good news is Parrish has been upgraded to probable as the Bulldogs’ season opener approaches with the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Parrish recorded 49 tackles and eight pass breakups in 2016. He had surgery this past offseason to repair his broken foot and has since re-injured it in practice drills. The team hopes to have him for their opener though, as Appalachian State is no slouch.
If Parrish is unable to go, expect freshman J.R. Reed and Richard LeCounte to get some early reps.
Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver Van Jefferson is currently battling a knee injury, but his status was upgraded to probable. Ole Miss faces the South Alabama Jaguars this week.
The Rebels could use Jefferson as they look to replace former quarterback Chad Kelly. Jefferson caught 49 receptions for 543 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2016 as a redshirt freshman.
If Jefferson is unable to go, DaMarkus Lodge and Markell Pack should get the nod in his place. Quarterback Shea Patterson still has D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown to work with as well.
The Virginia Tech Hokies defense hopes to have cornerback Brandon Facyson on the field for their season opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Facyson is currently listed as probable on this week’s injury report with a wrist injury.
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Facyson has battled a few injuries since stepping on campus back in 2013. He missed the 2014 season with a broken left leg. The senior cornerback still has 36 starts under his belt and hopes to be 100 percent for their season opener.
If he’s unable to go, look for Adonis Alexander to step in for more snaps.