IU junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld will require surgery on his left, non-throwing shoulder and will be out for the remainder of the season, IU Coach Kevin Wilson announced Monday.
Wilson said he didn’t know the specifics of the injury, but the tear was severe enough to shut Sudfeld down for the remainder of the year.
He said he expects Sudfeld to make a full recovery.
“The shoulder is slipping on him,” Wilson said. “It’s not his throwing side. He should be able to make a strong recovery.”
Sudfeld is expected to have surgery some time this week. Wilson said it might happen as early as Thursday.
Sudfeld was injured three minutes into the second quarter when a pair of Iowa players combined to sack him.
As senior defensive lineman Carl Davis tackled Sudfeld, the quarterback’s arm tucked inward and was forced awkwardly into the ground.
Sudfeld walked off the field with trainers in obvious pain. He was seen later in the game standing in the tunnel with a sling.
True freshman quarterback Chris Covington took over for Sudfeld in Saturday’s loss to Iowa after Sudfeld was injured.
IU junior offensive lineman Ralston Evans said that when Covington came into the game, he was confident.
Wilson said he has the makeup of a winning quarterback and added the team was confident moving forward that the Hoosiers won’t need to change their offense too dramatically.
“He’s a young guy,” Wilson said. “He’s going to make some young guy mistakes.”
Wilson wouldn’t say that Covington has the job for sure. He said that freshman Zander Diamont and redshirt sophomore Nate Boudreau might all see playing time.
“They’re all available, and we’ll use them all accordingly,” Wilson said.
Sam Beishuizen
