The Michigan football team announced team captains on Thursday, and for the second year in a row, defensive back Rod Moore is one of them. Unfortunately, Moore had to miss his first season as team captain because of a torn ACL. Now, he is back in practice, and he can’t wait to take the field with his fellow Wolverines again.
While Rod Moore’s ACL injury is healed, he is still not sure when he will be back on field. He is still recovering from meniscus surgery, and while he has been cleared, he still wants to make sure that he is ready to go.
“Now, the ACL is 100% good,” Moore said, according to an article from 247Sports. “I’m just working back from the meniscus surgery right now. I’ve been cleared and everything, but it's just a matter of how I feel and when I feel ready to go back on the field.”
Moore doesn’t know when he will be ready to take the field for Michigan, but he knows that he is going to play this season.
“Honestly, I can't give you an answer to that one,” he said. “It'll be this year for sure, but I just don't know yet.”
Getting physically ready for a return is obviously the first step, but an injury like this takes a mental toll on a player. It sounds like that is the biggest thing that Rod Moore is dealing with right now.
“It's not really any strength thing or speed or nothing like that,” Moore added. “It's just trusting my leg. Knowing, okay, if they throw a deep ball, I don't have to second-guess on if I gotta jump or if I gotta turn a different direction. Just 100 percent, okay, I know I can go out there and be the best player, because I don't want to play any bad tape out there, have any setback or anything of any nature.”
When Moore is able to return to the field for the Wolverines, it’s going to be a special moment.
“I know I'll probably cry before that first game,” he said. “I sit there probably every day just sitting [and wondering] what is it gonna be like when I wake up and I know I'm about to play again? I don't know. It's a lot of energy, a lot of built-up emotions that I can't even put into words that'll be getting released on that day.”
Rod Moore and the Michigan football team are less than 10 days away from kickoff. The Wolverines will open the season on August 30th at home against New Mexico.
