Perris Jones injury update Week 12: UVA HC Tony Elliott provides latest on RB's situation

Perris Jones suffered a nasty injury in Week 11 against the Louisville Cardinals. The Virginia Cavaliers running back suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit with an opponent on Thursday and needed to be carted off the field.

Reports later confirmed that Jones needed spinal cord surgery, which effectively ruled him out for the remainder of the season. He underwent a successful surgery on Friday and was reportedly able to walk briefly on Saturday.

UVA head coach Tony Elliott provided an update on Jones this week and said that the running back's recovery has been going well. Elliot spoke to reporters on Tuesday and said:

"Part of the protocol with the surgery that he (Jones) has - he has to stay in ICU under watch for the first week. And then after that week, we're hoping he's going to be transferred to the Frazier Center, which is a rehabilitation center that focuses in spinal cord injuries."

Elliott also revealed that Jones was in good spirits but will remain under observation at Louisville's Frazier Rehabilitation for several weeks.

"I had a chance to see him via Zoom yesterday. He was in a position to talk to us," Elliott said. "It was good to see his face and man, he was smiling. He was happy, focused on his team, telling us to tell the guys to keep fighting. So that's where he is, but I anticipate that he's going to end up being in Louisville for several weeks once he's transferred, hopefully this Friday, to the Frazier rehabilitation clinic."

Jones suffered his injury late in the third quarter of UVA's 31-24 loss at Louisville. He was running downfield when he collided with Cardinals defensive back Cam’Ron Kelly and fumbled the ball.

Jones stayed on the field and could scarcely move before being attended by the medics. He was carted from the field and transferred to the University of Louisville Medical Center by ambulance.

It remains to be seen how Perris Jones recovers from his spinal cord surgery. However, he will not feature for the Cavaliers in their two remaining regular season games.

A look at Perris Jones' stats in the 2023 college football season

UVA running back Perris Jones has been ruled out for the rest of the 2023 CFB season

Perris Jones recorded 393 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 76 carries for the Virginia Cavaliers this season. He also added 107 receiving yards on six receptions across 10 games.

Unfortunately, Jones suffered a spinal cord injury in Week 11 that cut short his 2023 campaign.