Story by
The Anniston Star, Ala.
White Plains grad O'Steen will miss rest of Jax State's season
- Story byThe Anniston Star, Ala.
- White Plains grad O'Steen will miss rest of Jax State's season
JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State linebacker Walker O'Steen will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury.
Gamecocks head coach Charles Kelly delivered the news at his weekly news conference Friday afternoon. He declined to specify the precise injury.
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"It's a tough, tough deal for us. … I hate it for him. He's been very instrumental in a lot of our success since I've been here."
O'Steen went down in the first half of Saturday's 23-13 win over Middle Tennessee. He was gripping his left knee, and trainers from both squads helped him off the field. He was clearly limping.
O'Steen, a fifth-year player and a White Plains High grad, is tied for the team lead in tackles with 30. His 84 stops last year ranked second as he made second-team All-Conference USA.
Jax State already lost its other starting linebacker, sophomore Mac Sanders, in the season opener with an upper body injury. He required surgery and is out for the year.
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The Gamecocks' depth chart lists seniors Myles Butler and Aidan Thompson as the starting linebackers. Butler is fifth on the team with 19 tackles and leads with three quarterback hurries. Thompson has 11 stops and two quarterback hurries.
Morven Joseph, a fifth-year player, is second on the depth chart behind Thompson. Joseph played at Florida Atlantic and Tennessee and missed all of last season. He had 18 tackles for Jax State in 2024 and 19 so far this year.
"Myles Butler has played a lot of football since he's been here," Kelly said. "He's getting better. Morven Joseph was injured last year, but he's very athletic. He has made some plays. From an ability standpoint, skill-wise, he's got as much ability as anybody.
"And then Aidan, he's got to continue to get better. He brings a toughness element to our team that's really important.
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Kelly also mentioned three other linebackers who could see more playing time: freshman Jameson McCollough of Hillgrove High in Austell, Ga.; senior Mikey Rosa, a Citadel transfer; and freshman Brayden Matthews of McEachern High in Atlanta.
"Mikey Rosa, who we play at outside (linebacker) a lot, has made a lot of plays," Kelly said. "He's kind of gone under the radar a little bit, but he plays inside and outside. Then the two young backers, you know, Braden and Jameson. There's a reason why we sign them here, and you sign them to play. The only way you learn how to play this game is play. You don't learn by watching."
