One hundred percent.
That's where Terry Wilson plans to be, health-wise, whenever the University of Kentucky takes the field for its first practice of fall camp, regardless of when that might occur given the uncertainty surrounding college football because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If things ramp up around the start of August as usual, Wilson has every intention of being out there with dozens of other Wildcats eager to chase a fifth straight bowl appearance.
"We don't know what date, but I've been putting in so much work just to be able to get back running and do all the little things," Wilson said in a recent phone interview with the Herald-Leader. "I've put in so much work and my confidence level is raising. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll be 100% ready for the season right before camp."
There was a time not all that long ago that Wilson feared 100% was off the table. In the immediate aftermath of a knee injury that sidelined UK's starting quarterback for the final 11 games of the team's 2019 campaign, Wilson wondered whether he'd even be able to play football again.
His injury _ a tear of the patellar tendon in his left leg, which resulted from a horse-collar tackle during the third quarter of UK's game against Eastern Michigan last season _ occurs at less than a third of the rate as tears of the anterior cruciate ligament, but recoveries following surgery for patellar tears have become more commonplace in recent years. Former UK football stars Danny Trevathan, who suffered a patellar tear with the Chicago Bears in 2016, and Darius West, who suffered one the same year at UK, are among those who recently were able to return to football after suffering the injury.
It's hard to grapple with the shock of getting thrust to the ground and not being able to get back up. It's harder to accept what getting back up, for good, will take, mentally and physically.
"Once that injury happens, you don't even know if you're gonna play anymore," Wilson said. "You have doubts in your mind about if you're good enough to come back. Or if you're gonna be able to run. You know what I'm saying? Just those things. I bottled it up and just took it and wanted to go put it all out there on the rehab, put it out there on the field, and try to beat the odds.
"I don't know, man. I feel like God's been helping me out with this whole deal."
