Torn ACL Will Sideline Linebacker Tom Wort For Entire `09 Season

by ccmachine on Aug 21, 2009 8:53 AM CDT in Football

Reports are coming out this morning that freshman linebacker Tom Wort has a torn ACL and will be out for the season. The good news for Wort is that he’s only a freshman and will be able to take his redshirt and then start over in the spring or possibly next fall.

For Oklahoma it means more shifting in a position that has suddenly become volatile. Thanks to a temporary restraining order Mike Balogun is still able to practice with the team but his future as a Sooner is still very uncertain right now. That means Austin Box will be back in the mix at middle linebacker after previously being moved over to backup Travis Lewis.

Other players to take an interest in are J.R. Bryant and Jaydan Bird. Bryant is a senior who could back up Keenan Clayton but has yet to insert himself as more than a special teams player. Bird is a freshman who was ranked as the nation’s 23^rd outside linebacker. While he hasn’t had the type of camp that Wort was having he has had his moments and could also become a suitable backup at the outside linebacker position. If either one of these guys, if not both, could be ready to step in on the outside linebacker positions it would help Box focus more on being the man in the middle if needed.

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this could be huge

with the mess going on with Balogun, this makes “Ryan Reynolds knee watch 2010” that much more tense. Just like last year, when he hobbled off the field in Dallas, you could see the wind get sucked out of the defense.

This could become a major concern with one more injury to that unit.

by ern on Aug 21, 2009 9:08 AM CDT reply actions

Yikes

That’s what I was hoping WASN’T the result. sigh

C&C Machine (OU) | WTLC (OKC)

by dishingoutdimes on Aug 21, 2009 11:59 AM CDT reply actions

Looks to me like we're already done before the season has even started.

After last season’s turmoil, the coaches had finally found a way to shore up the MLB spot. We had Reynolds coming back, Balogun coming on strong, Wort as an up-and-coming…even to the point where Box wasn’t even on the depth chart at that spot.

Now, we’re left with Reynolds. Now, I sincerely hope he takes the Jason White route (come back from multiple serious knee injuries to be an all-time Sooner superstar), but after three straight years of serious injuries, I am not hopeful. When Reynolds goes down…well, I guess we’d better hope and pray that Jayden Bird is the next Travis Lewis.

by ousooner919 on Aug 21, 2009 1:52 PM CDT reply actions