Vandy's starting OT Andrew Jelks suffers season-ending knee injury

Vanderbilt’s offense took another hit Wednesday when starting offensive tackle Andrew Jelks suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice.

Jelks, a junior, was a two-year starter and a Freshman All-American in 2013. He’s the second offensive starter to be lost with a season-ending injury. Last week, C.J. Duncan, the Commodores leading receiver, was lost to a lower leg injury.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]

“I’m really disappointed for Andrew because he’s such a fine young man,” coach Derek Mason said in a statement. “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."

Vanderbilt’s offensive line struggled last season allowing 21 sacks and averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. However, with four starters returning, it was seen as one of the bright spots for the offense and Jelks was one of the anchors of that group. Redshirt freshman Bailey Granier was listed as Jelks initial backup, but E.J. DellaRipa, a junior college transfer, could be in the mix as well.

For more Vanderbilt news, visit VandySports.com.

-----

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook