With Texas A&M football on a bye this week, there’s no SEC availability report for the Aggies.

Despite the lack of updates, Aggies fans — and college football fans in general — are surely monitoring the status of preseason All-SEC running back Le’Veon Moss. According to head coach Mike Elko, Moss suffered an ankle injury during the Aggies’ Week 7 win against Florida.

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He is expected to return this season, but with Moss projected to miss “a significant” amount of time, there is concern about the extent of the injury. Elko did say Moss’ ailment is not related to his torn MCL and ACL from last season.

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With Moss out for a couple weeks now and his foot in a boot during Saturday’s game, fans on social media have speculated if he’s suffered a high ankle sprain. He was hurt when he was grabbed from behind and the defender’s weight landed on Moss’ right ankle and foot. (A&M has not confirmed this diagnosis publicly and under Elko has not usually provided specifics about injuries.)

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The public may not know the exact diagnosis but such a sprain seems possible based on the nature of the injury and his time off. Here is what what we know about high ankle sprains based on other running backs who have suffered them and what some medical experts say:

What is a high ankle sprain?

A high ankle sprain is more severe than lower ankle injuries. It occurs when there’s damage to the ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula.  Ligaments damaged in an high ankle sprain include the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (in front of the tibia and fibula); posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (behind he tibia and fibula) and the interosseous membrane (located between the tibia and fibula and helps stabilize those bones).

High ankle sprains can happen when the ankle turns inward while the foot is flexed upward, differing for the more common low ankle sprains, according to Cleveland Clinic. They typically afflict those playing football, soccer, basketball and hockey, as well as wrestlers and skiiers, per the clinic.

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Dr. Jesse Morse, who specializes in sports medicine, analyzes different injuries on social media. He was breaking down a high ankle sprain to Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears a few months back when he mentioned the various dynamics at play. Running in a straight line may not be an issue, but other movements can be.

“When you start cutting and changing directions, because the high ankle complex is a rotational component, that’s when they struggle the most,” Morse said in August. “And that’s what takes out that elusiveness and that explosiveness. We’ve seen this with (running back) Christian McCafferey, we’ve seen this with (wide receiver) Cooper Kupp.”

Those suffering from the lower, Grade 1 sprain can usually walk on the foot or run in a straight line, Morse said. But in a Grade 2, a player would have to wear a boot or use a cart to avoid putting pressure on the injury.

These sprains can recover in a days or a few weeks and others prolong for a month more. These are the types of high ankle sprains, according to the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics:

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Grade 1

The ligament in the high ankle is stretched, but not torn.

Grade 2

The ligament in the high ankle is partially torn, often with a loose ankle joint.

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Grade 3

The ligament in the high ankle is completely torn with ankle-joint instability.

“Type 3s always need surgery,” Morse said, “you need a high ankle — a tightrope procedure we call it, usually you’re out six weeks. The good news about those is the odds of reinjury are much lower.”

He indicated the lower types of strains can be frustrating because the healing process isn’t as direct as surgery. 

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“The Grade 1s or Type 1s… they usually miss about 3-4 weeks,” Morse said. “This is likely what (Houston Texans running back) Joe Mixon had early last season and he ended up having a really good season. Now the Type 2s or the Grade 2s are the frustrating one. These are 4-6 weeks…”

Notable NFL players with high ankle sprains

High ankle sprains have affected Patrick Mahomes, CeeDee Lamb and a slew of others. Mahomes was able to play in less than two weeks, but quarterbacks cut on their ankles far less than running backs, such as Moss. Lamb missed about a month. Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger was estimated this week to miss a month, and up to six weeks, with his sprain.

Dr. Tom Christ, a doctor of physical therapy who runs a website analyzing NFL injuries, wrote on social media Aug. 12, that NFL “RBs average missing 2.4 weeks” of action. Reinjury is a concern as another profile pointed out that nearly a quarter of wide receivers who tried to return from the injury within two weeks ended up reinjuring the ankle.

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Spears was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain during the team’s first preseason game in early August and wound up missing all of that month and the next. He’s played in all four of the team’s games in October. Rookie back Omarion Hampton, of the Los Angeles Chargers, suffered a high ankle sprain Oct. 4. He hasn’t played since and was placed on the injured reserve, meaning he’ll be out at least a month. Hampton can return to practice next week.

Le’Veon Moss injury timeline

It’s unclear when Moss will be back since his injury has not been confirmed. He was using a scooter to get around the field Saturday, so practice seems a few weeks away

Moss has already missed two games and the bye will mark three weeks since his injury. If he does in fact have a high ankle sprain and were to recover by the four-to-six week threshold cited by doctors and injury analysts, that puts him back on the field Nov. 11-25. Texas A&M plays South Carolina on Nov. 15, Samford on Nov. 22 and Texas on Nov. 28. 

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Provided there’s no setback, Moss could return before the postseason.

Elko told reporters after the injury that Moss will miss a “significant period of time” but added “it certainly will not end his season.” That would be a boost for a rushing attack that was sixth in the SEC when he went down and has since moved up to fourth. 

Moss, a senior, left the Florida win in the second quarter after racking up 46 yards and a touchdown on five carries. So far in 2025, he had 389 yards on 70 carries for a healthy 5.6 yards-per-attempt average. 

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“He’s going to have to go get it looked at and we’ll get it figured out,” Elko said.

The silver lining is Moss has recovered nicely from injury before. He was the SEC’s leading rusher at 765 yards on 121 carries when he tore his ACL and MCL against South Carolina in 2024. Time will tell exactly what the latest injury is and how long it takes for him to return to form once again.