By Will Vandervort.

From the outside looking in, it appears if there is one spot on the offense that could afford to lose a player for an entire year I guess it’s fair to say it’s at running back.

That’s exactly what happened Wednesday when Clemson finally came out and said running back Zac Brooks was lost for the year with a foot injury. It was a terrible blow for the Jonesboro, Ark., native, who had worked hard in the spring and throughout the summer while working his way up the depth chart.

Before Monday night’s injury, Brooks was in a head-to-head battle with fifth-year senior D.J. Howard for the starting job. The two had separated themselves from what was a four-man race—C.J. Davidson and Wayne Gallman were the other two—when camp started on Aug. 1.

But the blow just doesn’t hurt Brooks, who will take a medical redshirt, but it hurts the Tigers, too. Despite its depth at the position, Brooks brought a lot more to the table than many realize. Of the four players competing for the job, he was the more complete player of the group.

“This is a big loss because he is such a reliable player in all phases of the game,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “He knows the offense inside and out.”

Brooks’ only weakness going into the spring was his ability to pick up blitzes and protect the quarterback. But the junior made big strides in doing just that, which is why he earned himself half of the first-team reps throughout camp.

Brooks, who has rushed for 365 yards and two touchdowns in his career, has the best hands of the group. A former high school wide receiver, he understands route running and their concepts and he isn’t afraid to stretch out and go get a ball as evident with his diving 31-yard touchdown grab against Georgia last year.

Unfortunately, the biggest knock on Brooks has been his inability to stay healthy. An ankle injury caused him to miss four games as a freshman in 2012 and last year a shoulder injury sidelined him for three games, which led to off-season surgery following the South Carolina game.

“Zac was having an outstanding camp and was ready for a terrific year,” Swinney said.

Now, Brooks will have to watch and see if Davidson and Gallman can pick up the slack and help Howard out. Maybe freshman running back Adam Choice will emerge. Who knows? But what we do know is this, Brooks’ loss—by the way it looks right now—could potentially be a big loss for the Tigers.

I guess time will tell.