Some guys think they’re leaders, they yell and scream with the intention of firing up the team, according UT linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen.
Then there is Curt Maggitt.
“I think that Curt has a sense of when to yell, when to scream, who to yell at,” Thigpen said. “His timing is really perfect with kids or players.”
Maggitt is rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered in UT’s November loss against Missouri, and he might not be physically ready to play against Austin Peay; however, it hasn’t stopped the junior linebacker from standing out to a coaching staff that is yet to meet his healthy version.
“You see him out at practice, and he’s probably the most positive guy out on the field,” Thigpen said. “And I’ll tell you, he’s a tremendous kid with a lot of character and a lot of great traits.”
As a true freshman, Maggitt manifested those traits on the field, recording 56 tackles in eight starts.
He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 20, 2011 after notching 2.5 tackles for loss in UT’s 27-21 win over Vanderbilt.
But an expectation-filled 2012 season brought a nagging turf toe injury which slowed Maggitt before the ACL tear knocked him out of the season for good.
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad luck,” Maggitt told reporters at UT’s media day on Aug. 15. “After my ACL I look back and I look at it as things happen for a reason. I don’t feel like I have bad luck. I enjoy playing football…it comes with football. You get injured some.”
Maggitt wore a green no-contact jersey during fall camp and kept a brace on his knee the majority of the time.
His participation in full speed drills was minimal, but his presence was still undeniable, according to coaches.
“When he’s not doing anything, he’s over there coaching young guys and not only linebackers, but the secondary and making sure guys are focused and staying into the game,” Thigpen said.
The West Palm Beach, Fla., native also took on the role as UT’s runway model during the unveiling of the team’s new “Smokey Gray” uniform.
It was the decision of head coach Butch Jones to have Maggitt don the uniform, both in front of the media, and his teammates when they were first introduced to it.
“I guess Coach Jones just likes me,” Maggitt said.
Jones indicated that on Tuesday when he praised the leadership of Maggitt, a trait he wishes more UT players displayed with consistency.
“We’re missing Curt Maggitt right now, and you can see it,” Jones said Tuesday. “He’s our true leader. He’s the one person that brings the full package: extremely competitive, leadership and a great skill set at linebacker. We’re missing him right now.”
Thigpen suffered a torn ACL during his playing days and described returning from the injury as “like learning to walk again,” in addition to the mental blocks that are present with reengaging in full contact football.
Maggitt explained that recovering is a “process” while praising his relationship with UT’s director of sports medicine Jason McVeigh, a man he has become familiar with in his time as a Vol.
Regardless of if he’s on the field against Austin Peay to yell and scream – like those select few who believe they’re leaders might do – Maggitt is imparting a message to his teammates every day through his rehab efforts.
“The thing that keeps me so interested in the game is that I love football and I’m passionate about it and I don’t take for granted being out there,” Maggitt said. “So I want the guys to understand never to take it for granted because you never know when will be your last down.”
