Aubrey Burks injury update: West Virginia safety taken off on stretcher vs Kansas
(This story was updated to add new information.)
West Virginia’s game Saturday against Kansas came to a prolonged stop late in the second quarter as Mountaineers safety Aubrey Burks was tended to on his team’s sideline.
As West Virginia was attempting to convert a third-and-9 near midfield, Burks was put in a neck brace and eventually placed on a stretcher and carted off the field.
The injury didn’t appear to take place during play, with the ESPN2 broadcast unable to identify a moment of game action in which Burks was hurt.
As he was being carted off the field, Burks displayed motion in his hands.
It’s not the first time Burks has been part of a chilling scene during a game in the past 12 months. In a 24-21 win at TCU in September 2023, Burks was part of a collision on a punt return and had to be carted off the field.
Aubrey Burks was carted off the field after a collision on a punt return. pic.twitter.com/aIqDLLmWvv
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 1, 2023
Burks missed only one game as a result and went on to start at safety in each of the 12 games he appeared. He was an all-Big 12 honorable mention honoree.
This season, the senior from Oakridge, Florida has 11 tackles, eight of which are solo.
Aubrey Burks injury update
According ESPN sideline report Lauren Sisler, Burks was put in an ambulance and transported to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.
The hospital is located only about a quarter of a mile north of Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, West Virginia’s home field.
Sisler said that Mountaineers coach Neal Brown told her that Burks never lost feeling in his extremities.
“It’s interesting because after that play, he came off the field, everything seemed fine and he was on the sideline," Sisler said on the ESPN2 broadcast. "Suddenly, something wasn’t right. Something didn’t feel right."
According to John Raby of the Associated Press, Burks’ injury was not announced in the stadium’s press box, a contrast to how injury information is usually relayed to assembled media members.
Burks was later seen on the field celebrating with his team following West Virginia's 32-28 victory vs. Kansas:
Seeing Aubrey Burks on the field while #WVU sang Country Roads was the perfect ending to this game, given what happened earlier.
Having him take my camera was icing on the cake.
Glad #2 seems alright! #HailWV x @GoldAndBlueNtn pic.twitter.com/aVSP6SnNzB— Ryan Decker (@RyanDecker_) September 21, 2024
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aubrey Burks injury update: West Virginia safety stretchered off field
