USF’s Love grateful to be back

Posted Aug 12, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Aug 12, 2011 at 02:34 PM

VERO BEACH University of South Florida senior receiver A.J. Love is back on the field. A little older, he admits, but also a lot wiser and with a greater appreciation for the game after missing all of last season while recovering from right knee surgery.

“I feel great, man,” Love said. “It’s just a blessing to be able to be back out here after everything I went through, just to have another opportunity to play the game.”

Love’s injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered in the spring of 2010, was the second major knee injury of his collegiate career. He tore the ACL in his left knee in the 2008 magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl, though he was able to return for 2009. At the end of last season, the NCAA granted Love a sixth year of eligibility, allowing him to continue playing at USF.

Despite missing last season, Love returns as the Bulls’ most experienced option at receiver with 33 games and 19 career starts under his belt. Teammates and coaches think he’s capable of regaining his previous form and so does Love, who believes his rigorous work in the offseason should quell any concerns about his health.

“This is my second time around. I worked myself to the bone through spring and through summer and just got myself a lot stronger and got myself comfortable with (my knee),” said Love, who has 65 catches for 970 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. “I didn’t hold back.”

You can read the rest of the story about Love, which appeared in Friday’s Tampa Tribune, HERE.