There aren’t many players as excited to be back on the football field as Florida football EDGE Jack Pyburn.
Pyburn suffered a torn ACL in a game against Arkansas a year ago that ended his 2023 season.
The junior from Jacksonville said that the most difficult part about the whole process was being away from the sport of football, a game that he truly loves.
“You know, for me, I would say the hardest thing was just not being able to play the game I love for so long,” Pyburn said. “That was the hardest part. The rehab wasn’t the hardest part for me, just because, in my opinion, it’s a mentality thing. If you approach everything like you need to get better, no matter what the situation is.
“So I took it as, ‘Okay. I hurt my knee.’ There are things in my game that I can work on while I’m coming back from my rehab that can help me to come back as a better player.”
Pyburn continued, “For instance, having more bend, having more physicality, having more strike, working on the little technique, things that you know, had I not been injured, I might not have had time to work on those things. But because, honestly, of my injury, I had time to work on a lot of my weaknesses that I thought I had. So honestly, I just view everything in my journey as a blessing.”
Pyburn tries to have a positive outlook on life. There’s always going to be obstacles thrown in the way but it’s about trying to remain optimistic.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of challenges in my life, in general, playing sports, whether that was injuries or personal problems. And you know, if you have the right mentality about things in life, you’re always going to move in a positive direction.”
It was a seven-month rehab process for Pyburn to come back which is considered fairly quick for that type of injury. But he was determined to get it done as fast as possible.
“I told my trainers that I wanted to do it faster than anybody’s done it and do it better than anybody’s done it,” Pyburn said. “So, you know, that was my attack, and that was my process through the whole thing. Getting up at pretty much six-thirty, six o’clock every single day during the entire spring and winter, and just working through my class schedule too, all day long, sun to sundown.”
Pyburn went on to say, “And honestly enjoyed it. I really did. I just viewed it as a challenge. And I think if you view hard things in life as a challenge, rather than, you know, something in your way, it’s going to be a great thing for you.”
Pyburn had a solid game in the Gators’ last game against Mississippi State, logging a total of six tackles. He looks to carry over that momentum on Saturday against UCF.
Up next for the Gators
The Gators host the UCF Knights in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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