Following a promising 2016 campaign, bigger things were expected of Jake Pickard moving forward. Unfortunately for the player, ongoing health issues have officially derailed any forward movement.
Wednesday, Syracuse announced that Pickard (pictured, No. 99) has been medically disqualified from playing football at the university due to what was described as an “unresolved injury.” While no specifics were divulged, the injury issues are related to his knee.
While Pickard will no longer play the sport, he’ll remain on scholarship at the university. The defensive lineman won’t, though, count against the Orange’s 85-man limit.
After taking a redshirt as a true freshman in 2015, Pickard played in 10 games the following season.
The next two seasons, however, knee injuries limited Pickard to a combined total of one appearance. That lone game played came against Boston College in November of 2017.
That would ultimately serve as Pickard’s last appearance for the Orange as he was sidelined for the entire 2018 campaign after undergoing offseason surgery.