When Jacob Gilliam trotted into the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium on Aug. 31 for Tennessee’s season-opener against Utah State, the redshirt senior had finally achieved his dream: starting for the Volunteers.
And then, in the blink of an eye, that dream seemingly came to an end as Gilliam laid on the turf clutching at his left knee late in the third quarter.
As Gilliam limped off the field, the thought of being out for a prolonged period of time never crossed his mind.
“When it first happened, I just thought I hyper-extended my knee and I was going to be fine and that I would just rest the rest of the game,” Gilliam said.
The diagnosis, however, told a different story: torn ACL. Out for the season.
“I was down for about a hour,” Gilliam said. “Then my family showed up, and we started praying. Everybody at my church started praying, and I had hundreds of people shout me out on Twitter saying that they were praying for me. I really feel like that led to some healing.”
The “healing,” though, didn’t just help Gilliam come to terms with his injury. It also helped him develop an idea of returning to the field before the season’s end.
“Probably the day after the injury, he said, ‘Coach, I will be back,’ and he has kind of willed himself to being back,” Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said. “He was adamant with our team doctors and our trainers, and has done a great job of really following their instructions of rehabilitation and working his way back.”
Against all odds, Gilliam did exactly that.
Seven weeks later, he suited up for the Vols when they made the trip to Oxford, Mississippi, and took to the field after starting right tackle Coleman Thomas, who was thrust into the starting role following Gilliam’s injury, left with a left ankle injury.
“I felt pretty good,” Gilliam said. “I felt a little rusty moving out there to right tackle. I’ve played there consistently, but the last place I played was left (tackle), so I felt a little rusty at the position, but my knee felt fine.”
His return, though, didn’t come without any risks.
The Knoxville native said doctors warned him that playing on the injured knee could lead to damaged cartilage and would also increase the chances of tearing or hurting the other ligaments in his knee.
But after one half of action, Gilliam suffered no such setbacks and said he “had a little bit of swelling and no pain” on Sunday.
With one game back under his belt, the 6-foot-4, 297-pound offensive lineman may be asked to shoulder a greater load in UT’s contest against Alabama on Saturday, as Thomas has yet to practice this week and is unlikely to play.
In the event of Thomas not being able to go, offensive line coach Don Mahoney said on Wednesday that Gilliam would start for the Vols at right tackle.
And his comeback has proved to be more than just a boost to the offensive line’s depth. It has also provided some inspiration to a offensive unit in the trenches that has been under constant fire throughout the 2014 season.
“His drive to play this game is incredible,” redshirt junior center Mack Crowder said. “It just really motivates the rest of us to see guys like that who really love the game.
“Every time you get on the field with him, you just want to give your all for him.”
As for that tear inside his knee, Gilliam said that a possible offseason surgery to repair the ligament has “yet to be determined.”
Until that time, though, Gilliam is solely focused on finishing out his final days as a Vol.
“I’m on a bit of borrowed time, but I feel like every senior is,” Gilliam said. “Everybody’s got so many games your senior year and you’re always fighting for that bowl game. I feel like I’ve got a second chance out there and I’m going to make the most of it.”
