NCAA grants Duke’s Thomas Sirk a sixth year after season-ending injury

The NCAA has granted Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk another year of eligibility, the school announced Monday.

The extension allows Sirk to play next season as a sixth-year senior, after he suffered a partial tear to his left Achilles tendon in August. Sirk, 23, first ruptured the Achilles tendon in February. His rehab had gone well, allowing him to begin fall practice, but he re-injured the Achilles in a practice a week before the first game of the season.

“I’m so grateful to have a sixth year to continue my dream of playing college football and, academically, work towards another degree from Duke University,” Sirk said in a news release.

Sirk, from Glen St. Mary, Fla., also missed the 2013 season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon.

He started 12 games in 2015, passing for 2,625 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 803 yards and eight TDs. He ranked third in the ACC in total offensive yards per game (285.7), fifth in passing yards (218.8) and 10th in rushing yards (66.9).

Sirk’s 3,428 total offensive yards rank as the second highest single-season total in school history, trailing only Anthony Dilweg’s 3,713 yards in 1988.

He was awarded the co-MVP, along with teammate Shaun Wilson, in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl, where Duke won 44-41 in overtime over Indiana.

In Sirk’s absence, Duke went with redshirt freshman Daniel Jones, who has been up and down this season. Jones has passed for 2,520 yards, while throwing 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for seven touchdowns.

The Blue Devils (4-7, 1-6 ACC) play at Miami on Saturday.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "NCAA grants Duke’s Thomas Sirk a sixth year after season-ending injury."