COLLEGE PARK — When he began the rehabilitation process for his dislocated knee back nearly two years ago, Andrew Isaacs wasn't expecting to be out of action for that long, even though some doctors told him there was the possibility of never playing football again. He knew his body and his work ethic, and he figured that combination would have him back on the field in no time despite the devastating nature of the injury he suffered at Syracuse on Sept. 20, 2014.
But last fall, Isaacs never returned to the field as Maryland scuffled through a 3-9 season and he continued to work on his rehab.
So now the date Sept. 3 has taken on even more meaning for Isaacs, as it marks the date he likely will return to the field in a Maryland uniform for the first time in nearly two seasons, and he's more than ready for the chance to be back on the turf at Maryland Stadium.
"Some people told me there was probability that I wouldn't even play again," Isaacs said Tuesday at Maryland's media day. "I never ever thought of that. That was never an option to me, but I just trusted the process, continued to work hard and now I'm where I'm at today."
Isaacs came to College Park from Manchester (Conn.) High School as a four-star recruit and the top player in his state in the Class of 2013, according to Rivals.com. He had a big 6-foot-2 frame, and former coach Randy Edsall was high on Isaacs' potential. He played primarily on special teams for 11 games in 2013, though he did make his first career start at home against Syracuse that season.
In 2014, he won the starting job in the preseason and caught his first career pass in the third game of the season against West Virginia. But a week later, it came crashing down when quarterback C.J. Brown was tackled into Isaacs' leg as he blocked down field.
But the time away from the game changed the way Isaacs sees himself on the field.
"I would say it made me a smarter player," Isaacs said. "I had the ability to more look back and watch and learn more … Now you can reevaluate yourself, see what you're doing wrong, pay more attention to that kind of stuff. So I feel like I've become more of a film junkie since I've been injured because that's all I could really do. But I feel like it's definitely mentally made me a better player."
In his return to the field, Isaacs said one of the biggest difficulties came when his body couldn't yet do things, like make certain cuts, it could before while his mind still expected it to. Over time, though, his body has caught back up and he feels he's closer to the player he came into college as.
Isaacs is currently competing with sophomore Avery Edwards and junior Derrick Hayward for playing time at tight end. They know the expectation on the tight ends in Walt Bell's system is for them to be able to contribute in both the running game and the passing game, and his time away has helped him pick up the concepts quicker.
When Isaacs returns to the field for Maryland's season opener against Howard on Sept. 3, he's going to savor the moment a little bit more.
"I did it before anyways," Isaacs said. "It's always crazy every Saturday looking up like, 'Wow, I'm really here.' So now after what happened, to have another opportunity again, I'm just going to take it all in."
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