Notre Dame Fighting Irish left tackle Anthonie Knapp left the Orange Bowl in the second quarter and headed straight to the locker room, failing to return to the game in the win over the Penn State Nittany Lions. What is the latest on the star freshman offensive lineman?
Anthonie Knapp Injury Update
With Notre Dame set to take on Ohio State on Jan. 20, Fighting Irish fans have waited patiently for an update on their starting left tackle. Sadly, for Knapp and the program, head coach Marcus Freeman delivered the news to the media that he will miss the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Buckeyes.
“Yeah, Knapp will miss this game,” Freeman told reporters in the opening media availability of championship week. “He had a high ankle sprain and won’t be able to make it back.”
Knapp was injured when quarterback Riley Leonard landed on his ankle in an awkward fashion during the first half of the Orange Bowl win over Penn State. He skipped the medical tent and went directly to the locker room, appearing visibly distressed on the sideline during the second half. ESPN’s sideline correspondents reported that the Notre Dame offensive tackle was unable to put weight on the injury.
Knapp earned a spot on the CFN Freshman All-American Team following his debut season in South Bend. Although he was beaten to Freshman Offensive Tackle of the Year honors by Colorado Buffaloes standout Jordan Seaton, Knapp had been pivotal to the Fighting Irish’s run to the College Football Playoff.
Tosh Baker replaced Knapp at left tackle in the Orange Bowl and suffered a torrid time against a dominant Penn State front. However, it isn’t the first time this season that the Fighting Irish have had to adapt and adjust to injuries on the line during this run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Freeman was asked about the makeup of the line for the Ohio State matchup, remarking that, “As far as the starting lineup, we’ll do what’s best for our program. We’ve got to figure that out. We have a week of preparation to make sure we get the right guys to start this game, and we’ll see what that is here in the next couple days.”
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