Good things come to those who wait, for Maclin
After an injury last season, the redshirt freshman made a strong comeback.
Published Sept. 21, 2007
Redshirt freshman Jeremy Maclin came to Columbia last summer as a highly touted all-purpose prospect.
When he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during two-a-days last August, the Tigers didn't know how he would respond in 2007 after a year off.
But through the first three weeks of the season, Maclin has left no doubt that he can come back from the brutal knee injury.
He leads the country with 683 all-purpose yards from receiving and special teams.
"He's making a lot of things look easy," coach Gary Pinkel said. "He's gone above and beyond this year."
Maclin said these first few weeks have been about showing fans he could play at the same high level he did at Kirkwood High School in St. Louis.
"I knew what I could do to show it feels good," he said.
Maclin is the only player in the nation to have 100 or more yards in all four all-purpose categories: rushing, in which he has 100 yards; receiving, in which he has 191 yards; punt returns, of which he has 119; and kickoff returns, of which he has 273.
Maclin said this payoff is a long journey back from the college football abyss just 12 months ago.
"There was a lot of doubting after the injury," Maclin said. "It was hard for me. I had my ups and downs, but my coaches and teammates always supported me."
Senior wide receiver William Franklin said he expected Maclin to have success like this because of his natural talent and how hard he worked to recover from his injury.
"The way (Maclin's) playing isn't a surprise at all," Franklin said. "When he came in here last summer before the injury, we saw the potential. He's showing everyone what we saw last year."
Franklin said he knows Maclin better than most, because the two spent much time rehabbing and training together after Franklin broke his leg in the 11th game last season.
"There were a lot of days in the gym together, me and him," Franklin said. "We spent a lot of time training together. I knew him when he was in Kirkwood, and we have a real comfort level with each other."
Another benefit of Maclin's play is that it keeps senior tailback Tony Temple from returning kicks this season, which keeps his body fresher and more alert for the next offensive play.
"I love him taking our returns," Temple said. "Instead of getting crushed by four guys, I get to sit and think about what I want to do on our next drive."
Although Maclin said he is happy with the way the season is going, he said there is also a long way to go.
"I got to stay humble," he said. "I know the stats, but I can't be satisfied with them. I hope I can continue to play hard."
