Scotland High quarterback Jaylend Ratliff, a Georgia Tech commit, was seriously injured in an ATV crash — Twitter
A quarterback recruit for Georgia Tech who was among the breakout stars in North Carolina football in 2013 has been hospitalized after a scary ATV accident reportedly left him with a fractured skull.
As reported by the Fayetteville Observer, Jaylend Ratliff was injured in an ATV crash that also involved a fellow Scotland High football player, Dakota Holland. The newspaper reported that Holland was not seriously injured when the ATV the two were driving alongside other Scotland players flipped and sent both riders tumbling off.
Ratliffe is reportedly in critical but stable condition and has been responsive to commands. He has also reportedly shown signs of movement in his arms and legs, but doctors fear he could be suffering from bleeding on the brain, which would require surgery at Carolinas Medical Center.
The injury is a devastating one to Ratliff, his family and the Scotland football program. The rising senior led his team to the North Carolina Class 4-A state title game in 2013 and was expected to be a contributor to Georgia Tech’s football team starting in fall 2015.
It’s far too early to know if he’ll be able to follow through on that commitment, or even play football ever again. For now, those considerations are understandably distant and distinctly secondary to his fight to remain healthy following the accident.