Auburn sophomore defensive end Byron Cowart will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, per ESPN’s Derek Tyson.

Coach Gus Malzahn also confirmed the report during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference stating that Cowart had the surgery this morning.

Cowart, who was the No. 1 overall prospect in ESPN’s 2015 recruiting class rankings, has played in 12 games through his first two seasons with the Tigers, recording 12 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

He’s mostly served as valuable depth on the defensive line and a reserve to freshman Marlon Davidson in 2016, who has provided Auburn’s defense with 30 tackles (six for loss) and 2.5 sacks in his first season with the team.