UPDATED 2:56 p.m. ET: Unfortunately, Adam Breneman‘s worst fears were realized.
In a statement, the father of the Penn State verbal commitment confirmed that, after an MRI was performed Friday, morning, the top-rated tight end in the country in the Class of 2013 did indeed suffer a torn ACL during a camp at his high school Thursday. Obviously, Breneman will not play his senior season of football, although the injury is not expected to impact his availability for his first summer camp with the Nittany Lions next year.
“We are very grateful for the outpouring of support over the past 24 hours with regards to Adam’s injury,” Brian Breneman‘s statement read. “An MRI this morning confirmed that Adam has a torn ACL in his right knee. While he is disappointed that he will be unable to play football his senior season, he is very optimistic about his future at Penn State, and is totally committed to making a full recovery in time for the 2013 season. WE ARE!”
There’s also been speculation that, because he won’t play basketball his senior year either because of the injury, that he would graduate early and become an early enrollee at Penn State. Such a move would technically make him eligible to participate in spring practice, although how much if anything he would do during those sessions remains very much up in the air.
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(Original post: 10:34 a.m. ET)
What kind of knee injury? It could be severe. Or it could be very minor.
That’s the waiting game the player and, by extension, the football program are playing at the moment.
According to multiple media outlets, tight end Adam Breneman suffered the knee injury during a 7-on-7 camp at his Pennsylvania high school Thursday. After speculation began to spread about the injury, Breneman sent a text to, among others, the Patriot-News, with that paper writing that the player had stated he “is praying it’s not an ACL injury, but was told by Dr. Brian Bixler it might be his ACL.”
An MRI is expected to take place at some point Friday morning. If the tests show an ACL tear, Breneman would very likely miss his entire senior season at Camp Hill (Penn.) Cedar Cliff High School.
During his junior season last year, Breneman played through torn labrums in each shoulder that ultimately required surgery in the offseason.
“This is all part of a bigger plan,” the player tweeted yesterday. “Everything, no matter what, will turn out the way it was supposed to. ...
“So overwhelmed by all the support from everyone! Praying for the best. No matter what happens, I’ll come back better than ever.”
Breneman is the top-rated TE in the country according to Rivals.com and is the highest-rated nonbinding verbal commitment of a 2013 Penn State recruiting class that currently ranks No. 13 according to the same website.