Ryan Flannigan out for season opener
September 3, 2015
By Derek Terry
UK’s depth at linebacker got a little thinner on Thursday afternoon when head coach Mark Stoops announced that Ryan Flannigan will miss Saturday’s opener against Louisiana Lafayette with a shoulder injury.
Flannigan, who had 57 total tackles last season, was injured in practice after colliding with fullback Jacob Hyde.
Stoops said that he looks for senior Khalid Henderson and true freshmen Jordan Jones and Eli Brown to fill Flannigan’s shoes.
Jones missed a couple of weeks with illness, but Stoops said he has been impressive since returning.
“(Jordan) looked really good,” Stoops said. “A matter of fact, he had a really good couple of practices. It was good to get him back. Fresh, he looked fast. It didn’t look like he lost anything mentally. He’s got good instincts and he’ll play quite a bit.”
Jones, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder from Youngstown, Ohio, enrolled at UK in the spring and has consistently impressed the coaching staff.
Love ineligible
As expected, Nebraska transfer Courtney Love was ruled ineligible for the season. UK had applied for a waiver to grant the sophomore immediate playing time but it was denied.
“They told me about that and we had to move on and get our preps ready for the game, but we certainly will if we can,” Stoops said. “I know our compliance people do a wonderful job and will do everything we can for our kids. Sure, we’re exploring all options.”
