Florida State's C.J. Campbell returns early from 'season-ending' injury, scores emotional TD

It might have been only 23 rushing yards and a touchdown when the game was already decided, but Florida State running back C.J. Campbell’s burst into the end zone late Saturday meant the world to the Seminoles’ players and coaches.

During a comfortable 41-16 victory over ACC foe Georgia Tech, the walk-on redshirt freshman Campbell returned from a major leg injury – one that was thought to be season-ending at the time – to score his first career touchdown in the garnet and gold.

Campbell’s score came on a 7-yard run with just over a minute remaining. And within seconds, he was swarmed by players, coaches and support staff members.

“To score my first one coming back, it was incredible,” Campbell said. “There was nothing like it, so surreal. I had always envisioned it. Even since I have been hurt, I’ve been thinking about [how] it’s going to be so good to get that first touchdown. Running off the field, seeing everybody celebrating for me, that shows just how much of a family we have here. …

“No matter what, no matter who you are, walk-on, scholarship. They all root for you and they all are happy to see you succeed. That’s one of the biggest things that helped me get through that injury.”

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When he was sidelined during preseason camp in August, Campbell was pushing for playing time after a strong spring and summer. But the injury was expected to keep him out of action until 2023, and Florida State’s coaches even moved receiver Joshua Burrell to running back for depth purposes.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Campbell was back at practice this past week in full uniform.

“Whenever I was first injured, we though it was a season-ending injury. Once we got out of post-surgery was when they told me that there’s a chance, if I continue to work as hard as I always work, then I might be able to return for the Florida game. But in my head, I thought I could come back a lot earlier than that. So I kept working, and now I’m here,” Campbell said. “Whenever I first was injured, broke my fibula, we thought that I had torn some ligaments going into surgery. They figured out that it was just my fibula that was broken; it shifted my whole ankle to the left.”

With no torn ligaments and the bone healing quickly, teammates say Campbell worked overtime to get back on the field.

Florida State defensive end Jared Verse, who had to recover from his own knee injury earlier this season, certainly noticed the effort Campbell was putting in to returning to action.

“With me being hurt, I’ve spent a lot more time in the training room. Every time I’m there, C.J. is there before me. Every time I leave, he’s there after me,” Verse said. “It was really satisfying to know one of my brothers, one of my close family, seeing their hard work pay off. It meant so much to me. Seeing him smiling, cheesing off the field when he’s running off.”

Campbell contributed to an impressive Florida State rushing attack that finished with 246 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. And that was without starter Treshaun Ward, who missed his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.

With Ward out of commission, fellow tailback Trey Benson broke a slew of tackles on the way to 111 rushing yards on just 18 carries.

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After the game, Benson smiled ear-to-ear when asked about Campbell’s success.

“I was so happy for C.J. He wasn’t even supposed to come back. He worked so hard to get back this year. We actually talked about it the whole week,” Benson said. “I’m so excited for C.J., what’s ahead, and I am really proud of him.”

FSU head coach Mike Norvell said there’s no way Campbell could have returned so quickly if not for his relentless dedication to the rehabilitation process.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a rehab or a belief that’s gone better,” the head coach said. “You saw the reaction [from the team] when he scored the touchdown. This team, he is a special, special young man. I loved every second. Seeing the celebration and his joy at practice, you feel it and it’s contagious.

“That’s what I love about that running back room. That is a group that really pours into each other, they believe in each other. Even through adversity. It was an emotional time when C.J. got hurt, because of all that he does.”

That support was not lost on Campbell. The redshirt freshman credited his teammates with helping him power through the tough times.

“It’s important to keep a good state of mind whenever you are coming back from an injury. If you continue to harp on it that you can’t do certain things, it’ll make your comeback even slower than it was. I came every day with a positive mindset to do better,” Campbell said. “And the guys around me in the running back room, L.T. (Lawrance Toafili), Rodney (Hill), Tre Ward, Trey Benson, they all kept my head up and told me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be back faster than you thought.’”

As it turns out, he was back faster than anyone thought.

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