The UCF Knights have been the best Group of Five team in the nation for two straight seasons, but they are facing an uphill battle to make it three in a row in 2019. A tough task was made even more difficult when it was reported that quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. suffered a broken ankle this week.
BREAKING NEWS: #UCF QB Darriel Mack Jr. suffers broken ankle. https://t.co/CQwoGC5Mcb pic.twitter.com/nAhY2OxQVd
— osknights (@osknights) July 10, 2019
According to reports, Mack broke his ankle during a non-football related activity. There has been no further word on what exactly happened, and head coach Josh Heupel stated that there is no timetable for when Mack might return to action.
JUST IN | UCF quarterback Darriel Mack Jr., who replaced McKenzie Milton last year, broke his ankle in a non-football related activity and is out indefinitely, the team announced Wednesday. https://t.co/zUUwTLnqes
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) July 10, 2019
This is the second major injury to a UCF quarterback in less than a year. McKenzie Milton was the star of the 2017 and 2018 teams, leading the Knights to 24 straight victories before a gruesome injury in the school’s last regular season game in 2018.
Early in the second quarter of UCF’s rivalry game with USF, Milton’s leg was sandwiched between two defenders, causing extensive nerve and arterial damage in his knee. It nearly led to Milton’s leg being amputated, and he has already been declared out for the entirety of the 2019 season.
UCF says QB Darriel Mack Jr. suffered a broken ankle in a non-football related injury this week and will miss fall practices.
The injury makes Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush the clear favorite to start for the Knights.https://t.co/Ob9bnz3kDG pic.twitter.com/xqoy9fWq91
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) July 10, 2019
Mack’s injury means that Brandon Wimbush is more than likely going to enter the season as UCF’s starter. Wimbush arrived as a graduate transfer from Notre Dame this offseason, and he gives the Knights a veteran leader without Mack or Milton available.
Wimbush was the starting quarterback for the Irish in 2017, but he gave way to Ian Book after an unimpressive start to the 2018 campaign. He completed just 52.9 percent of his passes in Brian Kelly’s offense and threw six interceptions compared to just four touchdowns passes. He can be a dynamic runner though, and Heupel will be sure to use that weapon.
There are only two scholarship quarterbacks behind Wimbush on the depth chart until Mack recovers and both are freshmen.
H/T: Orlando Sentinel
