Duke linebacker Kelby Brown will miss the upcoming season due to a knee injury.
According to the Associated Press, Brown tore his left anterior cruciate ligament on Monday during a team scrimmage. He is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday. This is the third time in his college career that Brown has had a knee injury. He had a torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee in 2010. Brown redshirted the 2012 season after he tore his right ACL.
"Here is a young man who is an All-ACC and All-America-type player on the field, and even a better person off the field," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said in a statement. "He has been and will continue to be an integral part of our program. He's as fine a representative of our program as we have, and nothing will change that. He's seen this type of adversity before, and I'm confident he'll overcome this challenge."
Brown being out for the year is bad news for Duke as he is a huge part of their defense. Last year he was an All-ACC selection. Last year he had 114 tackles, 11 of those for loss, and two interceptions, according to ESPN. Brown was second in the ACC in tackles per game with 8.77.
Junior Deion Williams will have the first chance to replace Brown. Brown would be eligible for a sixth season if he wants to apply for it.