BYU LB Colby Jorgensen fractures neck during practice

BYU sophomore linebacker Colby Jorgensen fractured his neck and slipped a disc during practice on Tuesday morning, his brother Austen told the Provo Daily Herald.

Jorgensen had emergency surgery Tuesday to insert two rods to stabilize his neck, Austen told the Herald. The injury is a serious one, but Austen said it could have been worse.

"It's going to be a long road to recovery," Austen said. "We'll know the exact details after he comes out of surgery. The doctors were confident that there wouldn't be any hiccups but they need to do the back, then flip him over and do the front.

"He's pretty lucky he didn't end up paralyzed. I guess it was resting against his spinal cord."

Austen said Wednesday that the surgery was a success. 

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the injury occurred while Colby Jorgensen tried to make a tackle.

The 6-foot-7, 228-pound Jorgensen, a Provo, Utah, native, returned to BYU last winter after serving an LDS church mission in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He first arrived at BYU as a tight end in 2011 and redshirted that season after injuring his shoulder during preseason practice.

He was a three-star recruit in the Cougars' 2011 class. 

For more BYU news, visit CougarNation.com.

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