Dunning undaunted by ‘mountain’ ahead
Linebacker finds inspiration while working to return from knee injury
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M’s Justin Dunning has a good sense of humor, and a typically upbeat outlook on life. Both have come in handy over the past six months.
Dunning, who’s transitioning to linebacker from safety, missed last season with a torn ACL in his right knee, suffered during camp in August. Fortunately for Dunning and the Aggies, he had played as a true freshman in 2015, so last season served as a redshirt for the sophomore.
Three torn ACLs
The injury was his third torn ACL, with the first two on his left knee, and one costing him his junior season at Whitehouse High. That’s why, about a month after Dunning’s latest surgery late last summer, coach Kevin Sumlin summoned Dunning for an earnest exchange.
“I brought him in and said, ‘Listen, I’m with you either way, with all the things you’ve been through. If you want to play, we’re here for you. If you don’t, it doesn’t make you any less of a man,’ ” Sumlin recalled this week.
Sumlin urged an already resilient young man to take his time with his decision, and if Dunning chose to retire from football, he’d be awarded a medical scholarship to finish his education. Late last season, Sumlin noticed Dunning hanging around practice, soaking in the whole sweaty setting.
“I saw him over there walking around with the linebackers and I asked, ‘What are you doing?’” Sumlin said. “He was in street clothes and said, ‘I want to play.’ ”
In doing so, the 6-4 Dunning also requested a position change, from safety to linebacker, partly because at 235 pounds, he’s already built like one. He arrived at A&M two years ago at a little more than 200 pounds, but he has taken full advantage of the weight room and R.C. Slocum Nutrition Center.
When Dunning hobbled off the indoor practice field last August, already achingly familiar with the latest sharp pain in his knee, Sumlin grew emotional at the time in discussing the injury, because he’d seen how hard the disciplined Dunning had worked.
Dunning also was coming off a decent freshman season, in which he led the team in tackles with nine in his first game, a victory over Ball State in the 2015 opener, and finished the year with 20 tackles and an interception.
He also suffered his second knee injury late that year, and missed spring practice a year ago while rehabilitating. Then came last August. When spring drills started Wednesday, Dunning was all smiles and muscles in working with the linebackers.
“He’s going through individual drills right now, and he’s gone through all of the offseason conditioning,” Sumlin said. “There’s no question the kid wants to play, and he made the decision to move a little bit closer to the line of scrimmage. We’re taking it slowly with him. He’ll go through individual drills and not team (drills) this spring so he can get used to that position.
“We’ll see where it goes. It’s a decision he’s made, and we support him. There’s no doubt he’s got the tools, and he’s got the body. He’s got everything.”
There’s also no doubt the Aggies could use Dunning at linebacker.
Dunning, whose amiable nature and humor are evident in a variety of social media offerings, recently posted on his Twitter page a black-andwhite picture of his head lowered in his hand, as he limped off the field following the latest injury. An optimistic message with the image let readers in on his journey since.
“I was disappointed, and at the lowest point that I have ever been in my life,” Dunning wrote. “… I felt like I was given this mountain to not only show myself, but to show others it can be moved. Today, I can look back at this whole process with gratitude.”
‘All about perspective’
He also posted an inspirational video, starting with the low point following the injury and showing various points along the way of his rehabilitation, including running in sand on a volleyball court. None of it looks easy, leading to Dunning’s point about working his way back on to the field.
“Life is all about perspective, and when I changed my perspective on my situation it changed me,” he wrote.
Dunning has the spring and summer to continue working on his return, a return inspiring Aggies and others with his determination.