Clemson will be without Zac Brooks for the 2014 season after the junior running back suffered a season-ending foot injury during practice Monday night, the school announced Wednesday.
Brooks was the Tigers' leading returning rusher from last season, when he carried the ball 48 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He has 74 carries for his career, with 365 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He has also caught nine passes for 92 yards and another touchdown.
"Zac was having an outstanding camp and was ready for a terrific year," coach Dabo Swinney said in a release. "The plan is for Zac to sit out this year due to the injury and come back next year as a red-shirt junior. This is a big loss because he is such a reliable player in all phases of the game. He knows the offense inside and out."
Brooks will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Redshirt senior D.J. Howard appears to be the top running back for Clemson now, as he has tallied 581 rushing yards, 158 receiving yards and six total touchdowns during his last three seasons at the school. The Tigers also have options in redshirt junior C.J. Davidson and redshirt freshman Wayne Gallman, along with prized four-star freshmen Adam Choice and C.J. Fuller, whose chances to play this season increase with the news of Brooks' injury. Choice was an ESPN300 member from the recruiting class of 2014.