(Photo Credit: USA Today Sports)
Very sad news came out of USC spring camp on Thursday evening, when it was reported that back-up wide receiver George Farmer tore his ACL and MCL and will be lost for the 2013 season.
The news was first shared via the USC athletics Twitter feed, which tweeted the following a little before 10 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
USC WR George Farmer will miss the 2013 season after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in his knee.
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) April 5, 2013
Farmer’s injury is disappointing for both the Trojans and the player himself.
Starting with the team, it’s no secret that this is bad news for a Trojans club which simply can’t afford to lose any player, for any serious amount of time to injury. You don’t need Crystal Ball Run to tell you that this is a program which has seen its depth crippled following NCAA sanctions, and over the last two recruiting cycles has only been able to sign 15 players per class, while every other team they’re competing with is bringing in 25 apiece. Understand that at USC, any injury news is big news. And any player who is lost for the season is devastating, regardless of where they stand on the depth chart.
At the same time, the sadness comes more from the loss of Farmer himself. In theory, wide receiver is one of the few positions (maybe the only one, frankly) where USC can weather an injury to a non-starter and still end up relatively ok, with the return of All-American Marqise Lee (who led the nation in receptions in 2012 with 118) and talented emerging sophomore Nelson Agohlor.
Unfortunately though, this isn’t so much about the injury itself, as it is about the player who suffered it. And for Farmer, a guy who was once considered to be the top high school wide receiver in the class of 2011 (ahead of even Lee, a former high school teammate) it is just the latest bad piece of news, in a career filled with it, since arriving on campus almost two years ago.
In the fall of 2011 Farmer missed a pair of games following an ankle injury, and missed two more after getting banged up against Syracuse in Week 2 of the 2012 season. In between there have been a seemingly never-ending list of bumps, bruises and dings, and there’s little doubt that this spring was when Farmer was at his healthiest and playing his best. Now he will be lost for the 2013 season.
To add insult to injury, USC also received news that star recruit S’ua Cravens was lost for the remainder of the spring as well after tearing the meniscus in his knee.
Cravens, a perennial Top 10 recruit in the class of 2013, will be back in 4-6 weeks and ready for Week 1 of the season.
For more information, please follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter @CrystalBallRun.
