DESTIN, Fla. -- South Carolina linebacker Skai Moore, the team's leading tackler the last three years, will miss the 2016 season because of a herniated disk in his neck.
Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp made the announcement Tuesday at the Southeastern Conference's annual meetings. He said Moore will have surgery Friday in Charlotte to undergo a Level 1 fusion.
"He'll be fine. This is not a career-threatening situation," Muschamp said. "This is a very common procedure for herniated disk. It's unfortunate that it didn't heal on its own."
Muschamp says Moore, who considered turning pro after last season, will redshirt in 2016 and return to the team for one final season in 2017.
Moore, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound senior from Cooper City, Florida, sustained the injury during the 2015 season and aggravated it in the weight room before spring practice in March.