South Alabama offensive lineman Lucas Taylor has medically retired from football due to a heart condition, Jaguars head coach Major Applewhite said Tuesday.

Taylor, a redshirt sophomore, began preseason camp as South Alabama’s starting left guard. However, he sat out all of last season for medical reasons and practiced only sporadically over the last three weeks before doctors ruled him unable to continue playing.

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Taylor announced late Monday on social media that his football career was over. Players who are “medically retired” can remain on scholarship and stay in school until they receive their degree if they choose to do so.

“This chapter of my life is now closed. I have been medically retired. Thank you football❤️,” Taylor wrote on Instagram.

Originally from Mississippi, Taylor was a two-time all-state performer at Mobile’s St. Paul’s Episcopal School, helping the Saints to a state championship in 2020. He signed with Mississippi State in the Class of 2022, but left the Bulldogs’ program shortly after the death of head coach Mike Leach in December of that year.

Taylor joined the South Alabama program during the summer of 2023, but medical difficulties that surfaced during preseason camp kept him off the field for the entire season. He returned midway through spring practice, and started at left guard with the first-team offense in the spring game.

Applewhite credited Taylor with showing an unusual amount of determination to overcome his medical difficulties and return to the field. However, doctors eventually ruled it just wasn’t advisable for him to continue playing.

“He has gone above and beyond in trying to come back,” Applewhite said. “I don’t think I’ve seen a person who’s been medically kind of a question mark, that has tried to do everything they possibly could to get back with their team the way Lucas has. This isn’t a back, this isn’t a shoulder, this isn’t a knee, this is his heart. He was willing to push it as far as he could to try and play. But it just got to the point where it’s not safe long-term.”

Taylor is the second South Alabama offensive lineman to be medically disqualified this preseason, as redshirt freshman John Ward also “retired” last week due to a chronic knee injury. Ward began camp as the Jaguars’ second-team right guard, and was expected to eventually take over at the position for senior Reed Buys.

The Jaguars also lost another scholarship lineman earlier in camp, as Mississippi State transfer Jayden Hobson left the team with intentions to drop out of school and enter the work force. Another newcomer lineman, Duke transfer Ethan Hubbard, has missed all of camp with a broken hand suffered during summer workouts, but is expected to returns at some point early in the regular season.

South Alabama’s starting offensive line as of Tuesday is junior Jordan Davis at left tackle, sophomore Kenton Jerido at left guard, sophomore Malachi Preciado at center, Buys at right guard and sophomore Malachi Carney at right tackle. The usual second unit consists of redshirt freshman Adrian Griffin at left tackle, true freshman Asher Hale at left guard, junior Sam Williams at center, junior Reid Gavin at right guard and junior Daniel Foster-Allen at right tackle.

“We’re working on manufacturing depth there,” offensive coordinator Rob Ezell said. “We’re going to have to stay healthy; we can’t afford a lot of injuries there. But I do think there are some guys that have really stepped up, who I think could go in a game and we’d all right. I’ve been really pleased with that second group. Those guys have really come on.”

South Alabama is back on the practice field on Wednesday. The Jaguars open the 2024 season at home Aug. 31 vs. North Texas.