Trey Sanders opens up about the long and difficult recovery process after car wreck
Trey Sanders has a much different perspective as he prepares for the 2022 campaign than he did when he arrived in Tuscaloosa as the second-best running back in the country and the 15th-rated overall prospect in the nation.
“These past couple years have helped me a lot because without what happened, I wouldn’t be the man standing front of you today,” the Alabama Crimson Tide ball carrier said. ” I feel like going through that adversity, and coming back, seeing what I was capable of mentally and physically… I feel like at this point right now, I’m a lot more ready than I was my freshman year.
As a true freshman in 2019, Sanders received a medical redshirt after tearing his ACL in preseason and was forced to spend his time with trainers and rehabbing as his teammates fought through an unprecedented season that mirrored his own journey in many ways. With a regular season record of 10–2, Alabama was not selected for the College Football Playoff for the first time since the inception of the format in 2014.
And then came 2020, Sanders had fully recovered and was ready to contribute to the highly-talented Tide squad. But adversity struck again — and after suiting up for just four games in his sophomore campaign– the running back was involved in a horrific car accident that ended his season.
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That year ended up being one of the best in Alabama football history, and Trey Sanders watched most of it bound to a wheelchair. The Crimson Tide finished the season undefeated with a record of 13–0 (11–0 in the SEC) and as national champions.
“You know some days I didn’t even want to get up,” Sanders said. “There were a lot of days I didn’t want to get up. But having the training staff push me every day, in my corner, reminding my no matter how hard things get to keep pushing through. It’s been a blessing to have a training staff like that not many people have that.”
Trey Sanders on completing last season, mindset for 2022
The former On3 5-star consensus running back enters spring practice with a clear sense of humility and gratitude — and while his first two seasons would break many top athletes and force them to walk away from the game — the Crimson Tide ball carrier sounds positive, healthy and finally ready to show his coaches, teammates and the college football world what he can do when he’s at his best.
The Tide running back finally made it through a full season in 2021 and saw action in all 11 games, primarily as a backup to spell Brian Robinson, who finished the year with 271 carries for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In his very first action after two years, the Alabama ball carrier found the end zone in last year’s season opener against Miami.
Nick Saban made a point to recognize Sanders’ relentless determination and perseverance after the win.
Entering his fourth official season with the team, Trey Sanders admitted while he was thrilled to get back on the field and remain healthy for the entire 2021 campaign, there were times he realized his recovery isn’t over.
“There were moments I felt like that, because it was only a year after my wreck, so I felt like boy, as soon as I made one play or I scored a touchdown, I felt like I was automatically back,” the Alabama running back said. “But that wasn’t always the case, because I’d have a touchdown, or I’d have a big play and I’d come back to practice and I may not be able make moves like I did last week, because my body is sore, so it’s just those steps every day and just getting better, that’s my main focus right now.”
Sanders closed out the year with 72 rushes for 314 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Even now, as he prepares to embark on a season where he will likely see the most action since joining the collegiate ranks, the Alabama RB admits his recovery is an ongoing battle.
“I would say I’m still in the process right now,” Sanders said in the press conference with spring football underway.
“This was the first time I was away from football as long as I was, so right now, I’m really just taking my time each day and trying to get comfortable again. Because it’s really a new step every day, I’ve never been through it, so I’m just going as time rolls and seeing how it gets.”
No matter what his future holds, the one-time high school star is content. He’s found peace, and while he feels ready to contribute in a major way for 2022, Sanders has gained a new outlook on life.
“You appreciate everything a whole lot more. Hopefully one day when I’m done playing the game I can inspire people, and that’s been my outlook the past couple of years.”