The Oregon Ducks practiced inside Autzen Stadium on Friday afternoon as they prepared for a scrimmage that’s set a take place on Saturday night. For tight end Cam McCormick, it was one of the first times he’s run around with teammates in 11-on-11 drills in approximately three years.
The 23-year-old may be classified as a senior, but three consecutive seasons that were cut short by an ankle injury left him with two more years of eligibility. As we approach the start of the 2021 season, there is no focus on the future, but rather an eagle-eyed determination to get back onto the field and stay there.
To hear the Ducks’ veteran pass-catcher describe it, a broken fibula and torn deltoid ligament against Bowling Green in 2018 was the first injury to take place. After rehabbing throughout the offseason, McCormick said that he felt discomfort in the ankle heading into the 2019 fall camp, and they found a hardware malfunction that caused him to miss another season.
Repeat the same events heading into the 2020 season; rehab, preparation, discomfort, hardware malfunction. This time, it caused McCormick to ultimately rupture his posterior tibial tendon.
Finally, McCormick got set up with a new doctor in Green Bay, Dr. Robert B. Anderson, who performed a full ankle reconstruction surgery on December 23rd of last year. Since then, more rehab, more pain, and more exhaustion when it comes to the mental health side of things.
But finally, No. 84 is back playing again, and through a week of fall camp practices, he is ready to see the field at long last.
“Now I’m here, I feel good to go, and this is the best I’ve felt in a really long time,” McCormick said on Friday afternoon following Oregon’s 7th fall camp practice.
But what was it that kept him going through all of the hard times? Injuries are the bane of an athlete’s existence, and while rehabbing through one major surgery takes a toll, a majority of players might call it quits after being asked to do it multiple times. What made Cam different?
“Just the want to play football,” McCormick said. “I don’t think I’ve accomplished all that I want to accomplish here yet. I’m not going to give up on my dream of playing football. I’m not ready to be done. I have things I’ve got to accomplish on the field for myself to feel good. So until I do that, I’m going to stick around.”
He’s hopefully going to have a chance to do that very soon. Oregon is holding a scrimmage on Saturday night, and while McCormick couldn’t say whether or not he would be playing, there’s a belief that he will be out there when Week 1 rolls around against Fresno State.
When he ultimately does take the field, and catch that first pass, it will be far more meaningful than just a reception in the stat sheet. To hear teammate and fellow tight end Spencer Webb describe it, that moment will be worthy of celebration.
“Honestly, we haven’t really talked about it, but I might shed a tear,” Webb said. “I’m going to the freaking loudest one on the sideline, going crazy. I might run on the field and get a penalty. I’m just excited for him and can’t wait for that moment.”
That sentiment was shared by McCormick, but it’s still a ways away. For now, there is work left to be done in the rehab process, and in preparation for the season as a whole.
“I’m just head down, I’m just focused on being back at 100% and doing what I can do,” McCormick said. “I think I might shed a tear myself, I’m not gonna lie. When I get out there, catch my first pass or something, it will be a surreal moment, just being back out there. It’s been a really long time.”
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