2016 Expectations From Utah RB Troy McCormick

Before Troy McCormick suffered a torn ACL in the spring of 2015, he showed glimpses of possessing the skills to be a dynamic offensive talent.  Though he took a back seat to workhorse Devontae Booker in 2014, McCormick showed flashes of lightning speed and evasiveness in the Utes’ Las Vegas Bowl win over Colorado State.  The Utah coaching staff had high hopes that McCormick could take some of the load off of Booker and serve as a nice replacement should Booker get injured.  In an unfortunate turn of events, McCormick was tackled awkwardly during practice, which would inevitably end his 2015 campaign.

The road back is never easy for someone who suffers a severe injury but with the right attitude and a world class sports medicine facility, it makes it a little more manageable.  The loss of Devontae Booker (Drafted in the 4th round by the Denver Broncos) is colossal but Joe Williams appeared to be a solid replacement during Booker’s time out due to injury last year.  Booker is a hard-nosed, punishing runner, which would have made Troy McCormick a nice compliment with his outside speed.  The looming question remains though, will he be as dynamic of a player as he was pre-injury?

For many athletes, injuries plague careers.  They may feel great physically, but there’s a mental threshold that must be broken down before someone can truly come back.  That confidence comes with playing, with making game-like cuts, with just letting your mind go and focusing on nothing but the game.  It’s when you try to play too carefully when you risk re-injuring yourself.  What we can expect from McCormick will ultimately come down to how well his recovery is going and where he is mentally.  There's no question that if he's confident in his knee, the sky is the limit.