Nick Chubb is an elite Running Back in one of the most dominant conferences in college football. He went into the 2015-2016 football season being a front-runner for one of the most prestigious awards in college football, the Heisman Trophy. Nick was performing very well on the field, being a down-hill running, and wearing down defenses.  Chubb held a record for rushing over 100 yards for 11 consecutive games. The next game was against the powerhouse of Alabama Crimson tide, and with having the best defense in college football, people doubted Nick Chubb could rush for 100 yards. He was motivated and proved himself to critics all over the world, resulting in rushing for over 100 yards, keeping the streak alive. Chubb had gained praise from other teams, players, coaches, and fans after performing the way he did against a shut down defense like Alabama.

The next game up was against one of Georgia’s arch rival, the Tennessee Volunteers. The first play from scrimmage was a hand off to Nick as he ran to left side of the defense and was knocked out of bounds by his knees. When Chubb spun, avoiding the full on tackle, he landed painfully on his left knee  as he was tackled out of bounds. The star running back for Georgia was on the ground in a great amount of pain. He was not moving or attempting to get up on his own, as the medical team went over to assist him. They carried him off the field so they could get some ice on his knee. After the game, Nick Chubb got an MRI and was told he did major damage to multiple ligaments and cartilage, but did not injure his  ACL. The University of Georgia announced two days after that Chubb was out for the season. This was a very big loss for Georgia, not  because he is a star running back, but because he was significant leader on the team. With Chubb being out for the rest of the season, he finished the season with 747 rushing yards on 92 attempts averaging 8.1 yards a carry. 747 yards is a very impressive number considering he only played five games in the season, which means he averaged about 149.4 yards per game. If Chubb would not have gotten hurt, you can argue that Chubb would have won the Heisman Trophy.

Days after this career threatening injury took place, Nick got surgery on his left knee to get back to normal and get the rehab process going as soon as possible. Nick Chubb did not back down from the game of football, even though he suffered one of the most painful injuries in football. As soon as he could start rehab, he did. Chubb started out very slowly and worked with the doctors and the Georgia coaching staff to properly get back to 100%. This process is a very slow process, so Nick did not return his sophomore season in the red and black. On the time he had off the field, Nick did not stop working on his body, he continued to work out the muscles that he could. Finally, the doctors are Chubb permission to do small leg and knee exercises to work on the left knee. No big exercises were allowed because the doctors did not want him injuring the ligaments again. The pride in Nick Chubb himself drove him to come back better than before, quitting was not an option in his mind.

As spring practice rolls around, a very pleasant sight was in front of the fans eyes, Nick Chubb was participating in practice. Although, he was only running one simple drill named, “play polish”, this was showing improvement on Nick’s recovery. “Play polish” is a drill that Chubb takes handoffs and runs straight ahead, not cutting or being hit. As the team practiced, he would head over to the sidelines to work on drills with the head athletic trainer Ron Courson. Chubb would do small drills like: skipping for 50 yards and back, walked, flexed his legs, and high-stepped. He also participated in some small running drills, taking handoffs, and receiving passes. Afterwards, he would head back over to the sideline while the team worked on more intensive drills. As Chubb continues to work with doctors and trainers, first year head coach Kirby Smart stated that Chubb is “dead on schedule” and even ahead of schedule, as he makes a comeback from the horrifying left knee injury suffered last October. The next question is, ‘Will Nick Chubb be able to play in Georgia’s season opener against North Carolina?’. There is no definite answer to that, if he continues his rehab on this pace he could be able to dress in the red jersey and silver britches with his teammates. He will probably not be 100% to practice in summer workouts, but the sight of seeing him out there on the field during spring practice is a great sign for Dawg Nation. With this being said, Chubb is on a comeback and is not quitting, he is driven to make a return. If he is 100% by the season, he can make a run for another chance at winning the Heisman Trophy his junior season. Chubb, his doctors, and coaches are taking his rehab process day-by-day by doing physical therapy one or twice a day. The doctors do not want him out on the field making cuts, taking hits, and receiving the ball until he is comfortable and is back to 100%. Nick Chubb is on a comeback, and is coming back better than before.