Been there, done it
Having once torn all ankle ligaments, RB Anderson knows challenges facing Mack
As quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. recovers from a broken ankle he suffered early last month, the redshirt sophomore is still attending preseason practices and spending time around the football facilities.
While there’s no timetable for his return, Mack is expected to miss all of camp and possibly the start of the season.
“It’s tough because DJ had the most experience in this offense, but he’s still around, being a
leader, and that’s good to see,” junior Otis Anderson said. “That’s always a plus.
“The good thing about it is that he’s walking. A lot of people that have injuries like that don’t really walk right away.”
Mack is wearing a walking boot and making his way around without crutches.
Anderson knows how hard it
can be to recover from an ankle injury after tearing all of the ligaments in his right ankle while playing high school football at University Christian in Jacksonville.
“That was probably my darkest days of playing football, because I was watching my teammates go through all of this together and I couldn’t be a part of it. I could only encourage verbally,” Anderson recalled of what was diagnosed as a Grade 3 sprain. “They told me that I would probably not be able to play football again.
“They told me it would have been better if I had a complete break, than what I had.”
Anderson eventually recovered and he’s become an indispensable option for UCF on offense, with the junior splitting time at tailback and receiver for the Knights the past two seasons.
“I have 100% faith that he’ll bounce back.” Otis Anderson on injured teammate Darriel Mack Jr.
He gained a combined 505 yards with seven total touchdowns in 2018.
While his injury differs from the one Mack suffered, Anderson knows it’s easy to feel down about the situation. The running back is confident Mack has a lot of support and will make a smooth recovery.
“I have 100% faith that he’ll bounce back,” Anderson said of Mack.
Hescock tends to horses
UCF redshirt junior tight end Jake Hescock, who grew up in Pittsfield, Mass., and transferred from Wisconsin to UCF, said he has always loved animals and would prefer to live close to them.
So when offered a chance to spend the summer working at a horse ranch in nearby Chuluota, he pounced on the opportunity.
“It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot that I actually didn’t know,” Hescock said of the job, which involved cleaning stalls and bringing the 20 horses in and out of the stables. “It was fun to see what goes into taking care of them.”
Hescock joked that while his horseshoe-shaped mustache might indicate otherwise, a career as a cowboy or rancher is probably not in the cards. He said he was intimidated initially by the animals, but as time went on, he grew to appreciate their individual personalities.
“I didn’t ride them,” Hescock said. “I didn’t want to have to explain to coach [Josh] Heupel how I missed fall camp trying to ride a horse.”
Wimbush bonds with teammates
After arriving on the UCF campus in January, quarterback Brandon Wimbush felt it was imperative that he spend his summer getting to know his teammates.
If Wimbush expected to win the starting quarterback job during preseason camp, he knew it would be invaluable to spend as much time as possible with the Knights.
That included hitting the
practice field for voluntary workouts.
“We were out there a lot,” Wimbush said following the team’s first preseason practice Wednesday. “This is the most time I’ve been out in the summer with receivers and running backs in my entire career.”
Wimbush, who spent
three seasons at Notre Dame where he started 16 games for the Fighting Irish before getting replaced by Ian Book three games into last season, is working to bolster the bond with his new UCF teammates.
“I’m moving off campus here in a few weeks with some of the guys,” said Wimbush, who said he will live with receivers Gabe Davis and Alex Harris this season. “Just being around them and understanding what those guys are about and what we’re trying to accomplish here, it’s an invaluable time with them.”
mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com