Cal DL Brett Johnson out for season with lower-body injury

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California defensive lineman Brett Johnson will miss a second straight season after going down with a lower-body injury.

Coach Justin Wilcox said Saturday that Johnson got hurt in practice on Thursday and will miss the entire season. Cal said the injury is unrelated to the broken hip Johnson suffered in a car accident that forced him to miss the 2021 season.

“Brett is one of the toughest and most dedicated football players I have ever been around,” Wilcox said. “Although this is a difficult situation for him, I am confident that he will return to the field in 2023. He has the unwavering support of all his coaches, teammates and everyone in our football program. It is important for us to rally around each other as a team and respond positively to this adversity.”

Johnson was a preseason pick for the Pac-12 second team by the coaches. He has 46 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks in 17 career games since arriving at Cal in 2019.

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