Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson, who finished last year as a Sporting News Freshman All-American, could be missing more time than previously thought with a knee injury. While Lawson may not miss the season, Tigers coach Guz Malzahn hinted at SEC Media Days that he will be missing a considerable amount of time.
Auburn DE Carl Lawson had ACL surgery in May. Malzahn said he's "determined to come back at the end of this year."
— Steven Godfrey (@38Godfrey) July 14, 2014
Lawson, who made a key stop in this year's Iron Bowl, was initially considered a candidate to play in this year's opener, given that Tigers defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson called his recovery so far "phenomenal." Lawson's father even said in June that missing time this year was "not in the thought process."
The extent of the surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews has not been revealed, but missing the entire 2014 season is "not in the thought process" for Lawson's family, his father, Carl Lawson, Sr. told AL.com.
"He definitely wants to play this year and everybody wants to get a chance to right the wrong from that 13 seconds (against Florida State in the BCS National Championship), so I think the thing is he wants to be out there contributing and trying to help Auburn win a national title," Lawson, Sr. said.
According to the article, the exact details of the injury are unclear, but the family confirmed that Lawson had not torn his ACL.