For the second time this spring, an Illinois skill-position player has suffered a torn ACL for the second straight offseason.
Running back Dre Brown, who's yet to play a down of football for the Illini after arriving last year as a recruit out of DeKalb, announced Tuesday night on Twitter that he has suffered a torn ACL for the second straight spring.
"Breaks my heart to announce this," Brown wrote on Twitter. "Don't know why it happened to me. Going to try and keep my head up. Pray for me."
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"Found out today I tore my ACL on Monday night in practice. That makes two in one year. I will be missing the 2016-17 football season. Don't know what God has planned for me next, if football may be for me in the future or not. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. This will be a long process with a lot of question marks, and hopefully I find some answers along the way."
It's heartbreaking news for Brown, who was one of the top recruits in Illinois' 2015 recruiting class. Judging by his comments, he seems unsure if his football career will continue.
Brown was supposed to provide depth at the running back position this season, and the Illini have nothing but question marks when it comes to depth behind presumptive starter Ke'Shawn Vaughn.
The situation is practically identical to that of wide receiver Mike Dudek, who tore his ACL for the second consecutive spring earlier this month.