Bleakley works to Overcome Injuries

[Brad]

Bleakley determined to make comeback

Ex-Crystal River star works to overcome a rash of injuries that has kept him from playing for USF.

By DAWN REISS

Published July 14, 2005

CRYSTAL RIVER - Will Bleakley leans back in his chair and gazes straight ahead. He doesn't like talking to reporters, but today he has made an exception.

"I like to keep a low profile," Bleakley says bluntly.

Since graduating from Crystal River in 2002, he has done just that - but not necessarily by choice.

The South Florida walk-on had hoped to make more of an impact on the field. Instead, he's following a broken path of frustration. Two injury-plagued seasons and a red-shirt year have kept Bleakley from doing the things he likes to do. But by no means has he conceded.

Bleakley admits that it's difficult enough to practice hard and watch teammates travel without him, and even more arduous to sit on the sidelines with an injury.

Initially, he wasn't sure he'd get a chance to play in college. He thought it might come through baseball. Then friend and former Pirates teammate Clayton Trenary asked Bulls coach Jim Leavitt to look at Bleakley. Though Trenary didn't go to USF, Leavitt was willing to take a chance, giving preferred walk-on status to Bleakley.

After all, in high school Bleakley's name was synonymous with success. He received Times All-Suncoast tight end honors and, despite excelling as a defensive end and kicker, had 15 receptions for 247 yards to lead Citrus County with six touchdown catches. He was tops in the area with eight sacks and recorded 101 tackles.

Bleakley redshirted his first year at USF. Then while lifting weights as a freshman, he suffered a hernia. Despite the injury, Bleakley practiced and took an estimated 10 game-time snaps before having surgery.

"It wasn't that bad," he says. "You just get used to it. But I was glad to have the surgery."

The operation lasted an hour, and Bleakley couldn't work out for three months. By last fall, he had started seeing time on punts and extra points. His highlight came Sept. 20 when Bleakley posted his first career tackle on a punt returner in a 34-3 loss to South Carolina.

"It was just a routine play," Bleakley says. "But my dad was in the stands, and I remember him asking me if I made the tackle. He was so excited."

Finally, Bleakley got a chance to prove himself at tight end during a Nov. 20 road game at Cincinnati. It was his 21st birthday. "We were playing a three tight end set, when Coach (Mike) Hobbie told Coach (Rod) Smith to put me in," Bleakley recalls. "All I remember is being told to go in for (Derek) Carter."

One play later, the Bulls were lining up for a punt. The next thing Bleakley remembers is being dragged down. "I just felt this burning pain." He looked down to a dislocated elbow that was pushed under his skin. Grabbing the arm, he pulled it back into place.

"The guy who took me down started apologizing right away," Bleakley says.

An X-ray and MRI revealed that Bleakley would need several months to recover. He wasn't worried "because another guy (receiver Chris Iskra) dislocated his elbow the year before and was fine," Bleakley says.

Two months later, Bleakley began lifting weights again and entered a heavy program shortly after. He was ready to play when spring training started at the end of March. One week in, Bleakley was at tight end when one of his teammates tripped and fell back on his legs.

"My legs were at the bottom, and I was on top of the pile," Bleakley says.

It left him on crutches with a sprained right knee ligament that's continued to plaque him through the summer. Leavitt recently asked Bleakley why he was limping in practice.

"I didn't have any idea that I was," Bleakley says, "but I had to take two more weeks off from training."

That was last month. Now, he hopes to stay healthy enough and fight for some playing time.

Bleakley has a challenging course. Record-setting back Andre Hall, who rushed for 1,357 yards last season, and senior Derek Carter are slotted as the top tight ends in a no-huddle spread offense. Bleakley and senior Mike Ruegger, the projected starting tight end entering 2004, are backups.

"Will has good focus, he runs very well, good ball skills and is a very hard worker," Leavitt says. "With anything in life, you'd better be persistent because if you don't have that, you won't be successful.

"I believe he'll persevere until he gets it done," the coach says. "The fact that he's stayed with the commitment and hasn't been distracted, has gotten stronger and knows our offense, he has a chance."

Bleakley never figured his career would take this path. "You have to be into it or you won't stick around. I thought I would have been starting last year."

Leavitt says Bleakley will play "a little bit" at tight end and travel for special teams this season then likely will have a higher profile as a senior. Bleakley says he never has thought about quitting. "No, it's fun and I like being around the guys. All I want is to start and play my a-- off."

Story Link

[Omniscientbull]

Why would Andre Hall be mentioned in the same sentance as "top tight end"?

[CyberBull]

I love reading stories about kids like Bleakley.