Demetrius Goode - #6 – RB – 5-10 – 190 lbs. – Chatham, VA – Hargrave Military – Redshirt

Reports from last summer’s early workouts indicated that Demetrius might contend for a spot in the Running Back rotation in 2007. On the first day of actual practice he suffered a torn ACL, which ended his season, and could jeopardize the beginning of the 2008.

There have been tremendous improvements in medical science over the last 25 years, and ACL surgery has seen its fair share. When then Tide RB Kerry Goode (no relation) tore his in 1984, it all but ended his career. Now it is much more common to see players return and continue to be effective.

The fact that it commonly happens can blind people to how long it actually takes to get fully recovered. Yes, Demetrius has been cleared for contact by the doctors. But that does not mean that he has regained full range of motion, much less the explosiveness that is key for a RB. That also does not begin to touch on the mental side of things, where Demetrius has to learn to trust his knee again.

2008 Prospectus:    He is one year removed from the surgery, and while that may seem a long time, anyone that saw him during the spring saw a guy who ran very tentatively. Time has passed since then, and it would not be a surprise to see a different player emerge in the fall practice. Having said that, conservative estimates on ACL recovery are typically in the 18 month range, which would mean that Demetrius might be more of a contributor in 2009.

Jim McElwain likes to spread the ball around to a lot of different backs, so if he can get healthy quicker than expected, he could factor in to the rotation. With Terry Grant, Glen Coffee & Roy Upchurch already ahead of him, and Bama having as many as 4 incoming freshman joining the offensive backfield, that will be a tough battle for playing time – especially if he is not at 100%.

While he did lose his 1st season at Alabama to his injury, he did have the year at prep school to help advance him physically. He’ll be a redshirt Freshman in 2008, so there is still plenty of time for him to get healthy and make an impact.

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