Corey Heyward Injury: Georgia Tech Guard to Miss Season After Tearing ACL

ESPN has reported that recent Georgia Tech signee Corey Heyward has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and likely will miss the 2012-13 season.

According to GT head coach Brian Gregory, Heyward, who spent the 2011-12 academic year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, suffered the injury in a pickup game Thursday.

“In the short time that Corey has been a member of our team, he has made a positive impact on our program,” said Gregory, entering his second season as the Yellow Jackets’ head coach. “His work ethic has produced positive results both in the classroom and on the court. We feel terrible about his injury, but it’s a temporary setback and we’ll be with him every step of the way back.”

Gregory added that Heyward will undergo surgery within the next two weeks, followed by a lengthy rehabilitation period.

For those unfamiliar with ACL tears, the recovery period usually takes up to a year.

Heyward, the son of the late NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, enrolled for the early summer term at Tech in late May and has been participating in strength and conditioning workouts and individual instruction.

At the time of his signing with GT in March, the 6-1, 195-pound Heyward said:

“I committed because it was the best decision for my family,” he told the paper. “It has great academics and a prestigious basketball program. Coach Gregory has really started a movement to get it back on track, and I want to be a part of it.”

via ESPN