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Go ahead. You can call it a comeback, unlike what LL Cool J demanded back in 1990. And it’s been an impressive comeback to witness on the football field, to say the least.
Rising senior running back Kenyan Drake is five months removed from a broken leg he sustained in Alabama’s fifth game of the 2014 season. But he was a full participant in the Crimson Tide’s first spring practice last Friday, showing no signs of hesitation when running or cutting during individual drills.
Drake showed eye-watering flashes of his electric abilities last year, even if it was only a four-game sample size. He has also kept fans in the loop with his rehabilitation process, posting video updates all across social media.
And according to graduating safety Nick Perry, the explosive tailback has a lot of people, including Alabama’s players, eagerly awaiting his return to the field in 2015.
“I think the whole world is waiting for Ken Drake’s comeback,” Perry said. “I’m excited to see what he’s going to do this year because he’s been working his butt off to get back, and I'm excited.
“I think he’s going to be a great guy, he’s going to be a great asset for us. He’s going to play a much bigger role than he did last year now that T.J. (Yeldon) is gone.”
In four games last year, Drake rushed for 112 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries and caught five passes for 159 yards and two receiving scores. That’s six touchdowns on 27 touches.
And that’s definitely Drake rockin’ his peers, puttin’ suckas in fear and makin’ the tears rain down like a monsoon. Too much? OK, no more LL Cool J lyrics.
But the tailback proved to be a versatile weapon in first-year offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s offense, using his speed and pass-catching ability out of the backfield and split out wide as a receiver. That next-level speed is still there, according to head coach Nick Saban.
“Kenyan is really doing better and better,” Saban said. “He actually ran 4.4 when he timed the guys the other day. He's doing really well, getting his speed back. Probably can't sustain it because he's not been able to do the same level of conditioning.
“He has done all the conditioning in the offseason program. He just hasn't been able to do it to the level of the other players. I think he's going to get more and more confident. We were really, really pleased with the progress that he made and what he was able to do in practice today.”
It wasn’t just Saban and the media that thought Drake looked to be in midseason form at Friday’s inaugural practice session, though. His teammates were impressed to see him coming along nicely after last year’s season-ending injury.
“He did good,” center Ryan Kelly said. “That was a pretty serious injury and I never saw him get down on himself or anything like that. It was always positivity. I know he’s been running and practicing, stuff like that. It’s amazing to see how far he’s come.”
His former teammates, like Perry and graduating tight end Brian Vogler, are also pushing to claim front-row seats for when Drake knocks out (sorry, had to do it) his return to the field.
“My biggest interest is seeing Kenyan with that chip on his shoulder that he has, just missing all of last year,” Vogler said. “He’s such a dynamic player.”
Alabama and Drake will practice again Monday, March 23, at 3:30 p.m. CT.
http://alabama.247sports.com/Articl...e-working-on-stellar-spring-comeback-36312525
Rising senior running back Kenyan Drake is five months removed from a broken leg he sustained in Alabama’s fifth game of the 2014 season. But he was a full participant in the Crimson Tide’s first spring practice last Friday, showing no signs of hesitation when running or cutting during individual drills.
Drake showed eye-watering flashes of his electric abilities last year, even if it was only a four-game sample size. He has also kept fans in the loop with his rehabilitation process, posting video updates all across social media.
And according to graduating safety Nick Perry, the explosive tailback has a lot of people, including Alabama’s players, eagerly awaiting his return to the field in 2015.
“I think the whole world is waiting for Ken Drake’s comeback,” Perry said. “I’m excited to see what he’s going to do this year because he’s been working his butt off to get back, and I'm excited.
“I think he’s going to be a great guy, he’s going to be a great asset for us. He’s going to play a much bigger role than he did last year now that T.J. (Yeldon) is gone.”
In four games last year, Drake rushed for 112 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries and caught five passes for 159 yards and two receiving scores. That’s six touchdowns on 27 touches.
And that’s definitely Drake rockin’ his peers, puttin’ suckas in fear and makin’ the tears rain down like a monsoon. Too much? OK, no more LL Cool J lyrics.
But the tailback proved to be a versatile weapon in first-year offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s offense, using his speed and pass-catching ability out of the backfield and split out wide as a receiver. That next-level speed is still there, according to head coach Nick Saban.
“Kenyan is really doing better and better,” Saban said. “He actually ran 4.4 when he timed the guys the other day. He's doing really well, getting his speed back. Probably can't sustain it because he's not been able to do the same level of conditioning.
“He has done all the conditioning in the offseason program. He just hasn't been able to do it to the level of the other players. I think he's going to get more and more confident. We were really, really pleased with the progress that he made and what he was able to do in practice today.”
It wasn’t just Saban and the media that thought Drake looked to be in midseason form at Friday’s inaugural practice session, though. His teammates were impressed to see him coming along nicely after last year’s season-ending injury.
“He did good,” center Ryan Kelly said. “That was a pretty serious injury and I never saw him get down on himself or anything like that. It was always positivity. I know he’s been running and practicing, stuff like that. It’s amazing to see how far he’s come.”
His former teammates, like Perry and graduating tight end Brian Vogler, are also pushing to claim front-row seats for when Drake knocks out (sorry, had to do it) his return to the field.
“My biggest interest is seeing Kenyan with that chip on his shoulder that he has, just missing all of last year,” Vogler said. “He’s such a dynamic player.”
Alabama and Drake will practice again Monday, March 23, at 3:30 p.m. CT.
http://alabama.247sports.com/Articl...e-working-on-stellar-spring-comeback-36312525
