WOLVERINES

Jeremy Clark lost for season; UM will seek sixth year

Angelique S. Chengelis
The Detroit News
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, left, looks over trainers attending to cornerback Jeremy Clark on Saturday.

Ann Arbor – Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed Monday cornerback Jeremy Clark is out for the season with a knee injury, but Harbaugh will lobby the NCAA for a medical redshirt.

Clark suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Penn State game last Saturday. Harbaugh said he hopes to be able to lobby the NCAA for a sixth year for Clark, a fifth-year senior.

Medical redshirts typically are awarded if the injury is suffered before the second half of the season; the player must not have competed in more than 30 percent of the season.

Harbaugh said he will count on Brandon Watson to fill the void, along with freshmen Lavert Hill and David Long, who will play bigger roles.

“They are going to step to the fore now,” Harbaugh said. “They’ve been practicing and playing a little bit and now they’ll be called upon.”

The Michigan players gathered around the cart that carried Clark before he left the field last Saturday. They were an emotional group. Harbaugh was struck by how many players were on the field to comfort Clark and said he can’t recall ever seeing a scene like that.

“He’s a highly-respected person on our team,” Harbaugh said.

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Fullback Khalid Hill has endured the same injury and assured Clark everything will be fine.

“It was real tough to see Jeremy go down,” Hill said. “He’s like my brother. I’ve dealt with the same injury, and to be in your fifth year, this isn’t how you want to go out. I wanted to shed a tear with him. I grabbed him and told him everything would be OK and if he needed anything I’d be there for him.”

Ben Braden is in the same class as Clark and took the injury hard.

“I was speechless watching,” Braden said. “He’s worked so hard. I feel for him and his whole family. Anything he needs, the whole team will be there for him.”