Georgetown junior linebacker Ty Williams suffered a severe neck injury during the first quarter of his team’s game against St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday. He underwent surgery at the Altoona UPMC Hospital after the game.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Ty Williams and his family,” Georgetown Athletic Director Lee Reed said in a statement released by the university. “The coming days will be very important and we will be here to support him and his family. We ask our fans and the entire Georgetown community to believe and pray for Ty as he begins the recovery process. I would also like to thank the athletic department at St. Francis (Pa.) and the medical staff at UPMC Altoona Hospital for their tremendous reaction and support at the game and in the last 24 hours. It has meant quite a bit, both to Georgetown and his family.”

Williams, who attended Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md., played in all 22 games during his freshman and sophomore seasons, moving from running back to linebacker during his freshman season. He started all 11 games at outside linebacker during his sophomore season, making 47 tackles, including a career-high seven tackles in consecutive games against Bucknell and Lehigh. He also forced two fumbles, made four tackles for loss and broke up two passes.

Further updates to come.