Miami DB Malek Young suffered career-ending injury in Orange Bowl

Some tough news came out of Miami on Saturday.

Multiple outlets reported that Malek Young, a cornerback who recently completed his sophomore season with the Hurricanes, suffered a career-ending injury during the Orange Bowl. Young was injured in the first quarter of the 34-24 loss to Wisconsin on Dec. 30. CanesInSight.com first reported the news.

Miami confirmed the news Sunday, saying Young will “undergo career-ending surgery for a neck injury.”

“After discussions with my family and the UM medical staff we have determined that my football career should come to an end,” Young said. “I look forward to getting healthy, working towards my degree and continuing to support my teammates, as I know they will continue to support me.”

Added head coach Mark Richt: “While we’re disappointed that Malek’s football career is over, his health is our top priority. Malek is a terrific young man, one who I’m confident will go onto accomplish great things. He will remain on full scholarship and we will support him every step of the way.”

Young had a significant role in Miami’s secondary during his two seasons with the program. He played in 12 games, making four starts, as a true freshman and finished the season with 23 tackles and an interception. In 2017, Young played in every game, starting 10, and compiled 43 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Notably, Young was the first Miami player to don the turnover chain during the 2017 season after intercepting a pass in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman.

Miami started the season 10-0 and won the ACC Coastal Division in 2017 but lost its final three games to finish 10-3.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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