Is John Morgan OK? Arkansas defensive end rushed to hospital after collapsing on the field
ARLINGTON, TEXAS: John Morgan, the 23-year-old defensive lineman of Arkansas Razorbacks, collapsed during a game against Texas A&M on Saturday, September 30.
Medics rushed in and carried Morgan off the field after he fell to the ground during a light contact play. ESPN reported that he was "blinking and talking" while being loaded onto the cart and taken to hospital, as per the Daily Mail.
Why did John Morgan collapse during the game?
SEC Network's Alyssa Lang reported that John Morgan possibly collapsed during the fourth quarter of the game after hurting his neck.
"He was talking. He was able to move," relayed Lang, adding, "I talked to Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek, and he was told by the trainers that he was dealing kind of with his neck getting snapped back, and he had tenderness and pain in the neck area," according to Daily Mail.
She continued, "So, precautionary protocol is to begin (taking) him to the hospital anytime there is any kind of neck pain. But it is, at this point, precautionary because of the nature of where the pain and the injury occurred."
There was immediate concern inside the stadium. Players of both teams took a knee while medics tended to Morgan and removed his helmet.
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman stated, "He was — good spirits isn’t the words. But he visited with me, he said, ‘Coach, I’m fine.’ He did have some soreness in his neck, so they took the precautionary, which they should."
He added, "They’re good at what they do and took care of him. But he had movement everywhere, and he’s at the doctor."
Morgan, a Maryland native, transferred to Arkansas before the start of the 2023 season and had recorded 14 sacks in 47 games when he was at Pittsburgh for five years. For Arkansas, he had two sacks and four tackles in two games.
Result of the Arkansas Razorbacks vs Texas A&M match
Once John Morgan was safely carried out of the field, the game resumed. Morgans was credited with a tackle in the game.
No one is responsible for more Arkansas Razorback touchdowns than KJ Jefferson pic.twitter.com/BsxDwGIXjH
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 30, 2023
At the time of his injury, Arkansas was trailing 34-16 with over five minutes left in regulation. In the end, Texas A&M went on to secure a 34-22 win, taking their season record to 4-1.
Arkansas Razorbacks' latest defeat takes them to 2-3 this season.