Kedren Young Returns to Notre Dame Practice Nearly One Year After ACL Injury
Kedren Young had been waiting almost a year for last Thursday.
The junior running back tore his ACL last August, forcing him to spend nearly an entire year away from the practice field.
Notre Dame opened fall camp last week, which allowed Young to finally put the helmet and jersey back on.
It was a milestone.
Young had worked out with the team throughout the summer, but being back on the practice field with his teammates was different.
“It’s been a process,” stated Young. “I've been through a lot of ups and downs, trying to recover and everything. I got to practice with the team. It's good being back with my brothers. That's the beauty of it, you get to like accomplish everything through the recovery and everything and now I'm back.”
Physically, you’d never know Young was coming off a major knee injury.
The 5-foot-11, 234-pound running back looks like the same powerful, explosive player he was entering last August.
Mentally, Young hasn’t taken a step back either. And as the pads come on, he believes he’s ready for the next phase of his comeback.
“I feel great,” said Young. “It's probably the best I've felt in like a long time. I'm almost like a year post-surgery. I feel the best I've been through this whole process.
“Mentally, I've had like a very positive mindset through everything. Just relying on my faith and trusting God. Trusting the process and just relying on his confidence.”
Over the last year, Young leaned on teammates who had gone through their own major injuries during the recovery process, including Jadarian Price and Boubacar Traore.
“He tore his Achilles and he's a first-round draft pick,” Young said of Price. “I talked to him. I even talked to Boubacar. I'm pretty sure he tore his knee pretty bad too. He was a candidate for comeback player of the year. I talked to those guys and my other teammates like Ashton Craig, all them guys.
“They kind of helped me through the process, talked to me, gave me a little pep talk. I give credit to them, just keeping me in line, keeping me focused on the process.”
Young also refused to let the injury become an excuse. Instead, he used his time on the sideline to improve the mental side of his game.
“I think definitely my run reads and then also just reading the defense,” Young said when asked where he has improved. “My coach does a great job of teaching us coverages and defensive fronts, things like that.
“When you're watching on the sideline, and when you're watching film, practice film, a game, whatever the case may be, you learn a lot and take a lot of mental reps.”
Young returns to a running back room that looks much different than the one he left. Price and Jeremiyah Love are gone, leaving plenty of opportunities in a deep and talented stable of backs.
Young doesn’t expect Notre Dame’s offense to change much despite losing two first-round-caliber running backs.
“We're trying to focus on what we need to do, what schemes we need to run, what schemes we need to go against, not just right now against our D, but Wisconsin,” explained Young. “I don't think it's really changed a lot.
“I think the team has changed in some sense on offense and defense, but as far as the way we play, we got the best O-line in the country, best running backs in the country, got the best quarterback in the country. Receivers, offense, defense…definitely defense.”
Young has spent nearly a year preparing for his return.
Now, he just wants to play football and help his team win.
“I just want to go out there and play,” said Young. “I haven't played. I keep saying it, but I didn't play football in a year. I want to go out there and have fun playing the game I love. And just contribute to my team whatever the case may be.
“Right now we're competing for roles, and whatever that role is, I want to take responsibility for a role and help my team out.
“We want to get a natty and that's the ultimate goal for all of us.”
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