When South Carolina WR/KR Deebo Samuel broke his leg in a game earlier this year, coach Will Muschamp refused to rule him out for the season.

Indeed, it looked as if the explosive Gamecocks star was nearing a return, as he’d been spotted in recent weeks without a cast or a brace on his leg.

However, during his Sunday night media teleconference, Muschamp broke the unfortunate news that Samuel had suffered a setback during his rehab process and would miss the rest of the season (via 247Sports):

“During his rehab, Deebo Samuel sprained his foot and will be out for the season,” Muschamp said. “They’ve ruled him out for the season, so we’ll move forward. He’s fine, it was just a little procedure. We’re going to move forward.”

Things could have been a lot different for the Gamecocks this year if they still had Samuel. In only three games, he put up three receiving touchdowns, two kickoff return touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.

South Carolina was eliminated from SEC East contention with a loss at Georgia on Saturday, but it could still be a special year for the Gamecocks if they can win out and make a good bowl game.

That task, however, just got much tougher with the news that Samuel won’t return this year.