Delaying the fulfillment of considerable promise, Georgia Tech wide receiver Leo Blackburn has suffered a torn ACL and faces long odds to be able to play this fall. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the injury Tuesday, first reported by The Crowded Booth.
It is a setback for the Westlake High grad, who suffered an ACL tear in 2021 during the second preseason practice of his freshman year. It could not be confirmed whether the injury was to the same knee. The Yellow Jackets are in their second week of spring practice.
Blackburn returned in 2022 and played in seven games, making five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. The score was memorable, a 37-yard scoring reception against Duke in which he sprinted straight down the west sideline of Bobby Dodd Stadium and ran under an arcing pass from quarterback Jeff Sims, turning back to the ball to make an acrobatic catch in the end zone.
Even before Blackburn’s injury, the wide receiver position group was perhaps the least experienced on the roster, as leading receiver Nate McCollum transferred and Malachi Carter and E.J. Jenkins both completed their eligibility. Of the 134 receptions made by Tech receivers last season, 106 were made by players no longer on the roster.
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