Rutgers University Junior Defensive Tackle, Eric LeGrand remains paralyzed below his neck this morning after a horrific injury fractured his spine on Saturday.

Eric LeGrand went to make a routine tackle during a kickoff in the Rutgers vs. Army Football Game. However, upon making the hit, LeGrand’s neck bent in an awkward position, and left the Colonia High School graduate laying on the field motionless.

LeGrand fractured the C-3 and C-4 vertebrae in his spine. He underwent emergency surgery, at Hackensack University Medical Center on Saturday night, and remains in intensive care.

According to reports, they are not yet ruling out the possibility that LeGrand will walk again. It all depends on the severity of the injury to the spinal cord. If the spinal cord is just badly bruised, LeGrand may regain movement again. If the spinal cord is severed, the prognosis won’t be as positive.

LeGrand is a graduate of Colonia High School in Colonia, New Jersey, which is 15 minutes from the Rutgers University campus. In high school he starred at Middle Linebacker and Running Back, and was ranked by Scout.com as the 21st best Middle Linebacker in the nation.

Rutgers’ coaches and teammates are hopeful that LeGrand will walk back onto the football field one day.

“We’re just going to believe that Eric LeGrand is going to walk onto that field again with us,” said head coach Greg Schiano, as he fought back tears.

The LeGrand family released the following statement:
“We want to say thank you to everyone for all of your prayers, kind words, and well wishes. We appreciate every single thought. Eric is in good spirits and we are praying for a full recovery.”