Aug. 20, 2015
On campus in Nashville – Andrew Jelks, a two-year starter on the Vanderbilt offensive line, will miss the upcoming season after suffering a leg injury in the team’s Wednesday practice, Head Coach Derek Mason announced today.
Jelks, projected as the Commodores’ starting left tackle this season, sustained a knee injury in 11-on-11 drills during the team’s indoor session Wednesday night.
Mason said Jelks, a redshirt junior from Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn., was among the team’s top performers and locker room leaders.
“I’m really disappointed for Andrew because he’s such a fine young man,” Mason said. “Andrew was having an excellent camp and was looking forward to having a big year. He’s a tremendous talent who commands respect throughout the locker room. Andrew’s a dedicated, hard worker and I know he will come back even stronger.
“It’s time for others to step up and claim a more substantial role in the success of our offense. We definitely have players on our roster that can fill the void left by Andrew’s departure,” the coach added.
Jelks has 22 career starts on the offensive line, including 12 games last year at left tackle. In 2013, Jelks earned Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and SEC All-Freshman recognition from league head coaches after earning 10 starts at right tackle.
