Sept. 24, 2007

University of South Carolina senior linebacker Jasper Brinkley will miss the remainder of the 2007 football season after suffering a right knee sprain in the Gamecocks’ loss at LSU on Saturday, Head Coach Steve Spurrier confirmed Monday afternoon. Brinkley will undergo surgery at a date not yet determined.

Brinkley, a 6-2, 262-pound middle linebacker from Thomson Ga., was on the pre-season watch lists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s best linebacker; the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is presented to the best defensive player in college football; the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year; and the Lombardi Award, which honors the nation’s top lineman. He was a consensus pre-season All-SEC first-team selection and an All-America candidate.

In four games this season, Brinkley registered 21 tackles, including 15 solo stops. He leads the team with two interceptions, including one in the final seconds to preserve the 16-12 win at Georgia. He has started all 17 games since his arrival on the South Carolina campus.

Brinkley was a first-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press in 2006 after registering a team-leading 107 tackles, including 85 solo stops, the most among the returning SEC players. He was fourth in the league and 55th in the country in tackles, averaging 8.2 stops per game.

The 16th-ranked Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1 SEC) will host Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday, Sept. 29 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Kick off is set for 12:30 p.m. ET.