BYU DB Keenan Ellis Suffers Scary Injury During Arizona Game

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – BYU starting cornerback Keenan Ellis suffered a scary injury during the Cougars season opener against Arizona.

On Sunday afternoon, BYU released an update on Ellis.

“CT scans conducted Saturday night on Keenan Ellis were normal. He spent the night at University Medical Center in Las Vegas for observation and additional testing. Keenan is out of bed, walking and reports no neck or back pain.”

🙏 🙏 Great update on injured #BYU cornerback Keenan Ellis.#BYUFootball #GoCougs https://t.co/mCL1bqKaSV

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 5, 2021

Oh man. Scary situation there for Keenan Ellis. Players immediately waved for trainers to come on the field after Ellis tried to make a tackle. #BYU #BYUFootball #BYUvsAZ @kslsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 5, 2021

Ellis, a junior out of San Diego, California, attempted a tackle on 3rd & 5. The pass was incomplete and immediately after the attempted tackle, Ellis was down on the ground and wasn’t moving.

BYU safety Chaz Ah You noticed that his teammate was down and then waved for medical trainers to attend to Ellis.

#BYU AD Tom Holmoe is down on the field with the team and head coach Kalani Sitake as medical professionals continue to attend to Keenan Ellis.#BYUvsAZ #BYUFootball @kslsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 5, 2021

Ellis was down on the field for more than 20 minutes in a tense, scary situation. Nearly a dozen medical professionals were attending to Ellis, who has been part of the BYU football program since 2017.

While Ellis was being attended to, the entire BYU football team was on the field either on a knee or onlooking closely for their teammate. Athletic director Tom Holmoe went onto the field to show his support. He immediately went to head coach Kalani Sitake and players to make sure Ellis was okay.

#BYU football team takes a knee as they watch teammate Keenan Ellis receiving medical attention from trainers after an injury. #BYUvsAZ pic.twitter.com/1tauWtIdb6

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 5, 2021

Eleven medical trainers lifted Ellis from the ground while he was on a stretcher. They put the stretcher on a medical truck, then drove off the Allegiant Stadium field to applause from both BYU and Arizona fans.

Ellis was transported from Allegiant Stadium to the UMC Trauma Center, six miles away from the stadium here in Vegas.

UPDATE #1: Ellis had movement in his extremities and was responsive upon leaving the field. He remains at UMC trauma center undergoing testing as of 10:40 p.m. (PT).

UPDATE #2: The CT scans on Keenan Ellis were normal. He will spend the night in the hospital for observation.

We will have more on this story throughout the evening.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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