Michigan State junior offensive tackle Skyler Burkland is retiring from football after multiple injuries, the school announced on Tuesday evening.
Burkland will apply for medical disqualification, which will allow him to remain on scholarship to continue his education while not counting toward the Spartans' 85-man scholarship limit.
“This was a difficult decision for Skyler,” head coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement. “We’ll certainly miss him on the football field, but he’ll remain heavily involved in our program and continue to work on earning his degree.”
It was not an unexpected move, as Burkland's retirement was reported by 247Sports.com this spring. But the team said at the time that he hadn't made a final decision. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder played in 15 career games and made 14 starts at right tackle, including the final 11 of last season. After starting the first three games of 2011, he missed the remainder of the season with a left ankle injury.
Burkland was listed as the No. 2 right tackle on the team's preseason depth chart, behind Fou Fonoti.
