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Provo • Brigham Young's depleted secondary got more bad news on Monday.

One of the players the Cougars could least afford to lose, projected starting cornerback Jordan Johnson, suffered a knee injury during practice Monday morning and has been lost for the season.

BYU sports information direction Brett Pyne confirmed that Johnson underwent an MRI after practice and an ACL tear was revealed.

The junior from Springfield, Mass., started in 12 of 13 games last season at the field corner position for a BYU defense that finished the season ranked No. 3 in the country. He missed one game due to a suspension for his involvement in a Halloween night ruckus at a Provo eatery.

It is expected that Johnson will apply for a medical redshirt and still have two seasons to play for BYU when he recovers from the injury.

The Cougars will now have to replace both starting cornerbacks from last season. True freshman Dallin Leavitt and junior college transfer Robertson Daniel were battling to replace Preston Hadley at the boundary corner spot.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said Monday, before Johnson's season-ending injury was revealed, that Daniel can play both cornerback spots and might be able to back up Johnson at the field corner.

Now, it appears that Daniel is the favorite to be the starter at that spot on Aug. 31 when BYU travels to Virginia.

Twitter: @drewjay