Brohard is back, ready to deliver
Injuries derailed his ’18 season at NMSU
It’s a safe bet that no one is more eager for the New Mexico State Aggies’ 2019 season to kick off than Trevor Brohard.
The wait has been downright painful.
Brohard, a sophomore linebacker from Los Lunas, has two years and not much football under his belt since he arrived in Las Cruces as one of the state’s top high school players. He appeared in two games — the last two contests of 2018 — and has two career tackles to his credit.
The lack of production is entirely health related. Brohard suffered a severe knee injury during NMSU’s 2018 spring game and has been trying to get back to full speed since. The road to recovery has been rocky.
“Yeah, I’ve played two games in two years,” Brohard said. “It’s definitely been frustrating but I’m back to 100 percent now and feeling great. It’s time to put a full season together.”
Aggies coach Doug Martin couldn’t agree more. Martin has been high on Brohard since he arrived from Los Lunas High School, where he was a firstteam All-State linebacker and selected as USA Today’s New Mexico Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
“Trevor looked good on the
practice field as a true freshman,” Martin said. “You could see he had a world of potential before he got hurt. But sometimes it takes a full year or more to come back from that type of injury.”
Brohard recalls the moment his right knee was injured all too clearly.
“I was on a blitz,” he said, “and the running back stepped up and hit my shoulder. I tried to cut outside to get around him and I felt it pop. Everyone told me not to walk off the field so I wouldn’t make it worse but I already knew it wasn’t good.”
Brohard suffered a torn ACL along with a tear of his posterior lateral meniscus. He underwent surgery weeks later and had high hopes of being ready for the Aggies’ 2018 season opener.
“I was way ahead of schedule,” Brohard said, “but then I developed a blood clot in my right calf.”
In some respects, Brohard said, the blood clot was worse than his knee injury.
“They took me to the (emergency room) and gave me a shot in the stomach,” Brohard said. “I swear that hurt worse than anything about knee surgery. After that they just put me on blood thinners until the clot broke up but it was a setback. More waiting around.”
Brohard finally made his collegiate debut last Nov. 17 at BYU and he played in the Aggies’ season finale at Liberty. He had one tackle in each game.
But Brohard and Martin expect 2019 to be different. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound linebacker is back at full speed and figures to be in NMSU’s rotation at middle linebacker.
“I still have to earn it but I believe I’ll see the field a lot,” Brohard said. “I’m working mostly at the ‘Mike’ position and I love it. I see it as the quarterback position for the defense, calling plays and knowing where everyone is, and I really like that.”
Martin, too, is excited to see Brohard, long blond locks flowing out from under his helmet, finally able to make an impact.
NMSU lost four experienced senior linebackers from last season, including standouts Terrill Hanks and Leon McQuaker, and needs some younger players like Brohard to step in.
“Trevor’s back now, physically he’s there,” Martin said. “This is a big year for him and I feel like he’s ready for it. We expect him to be flying around making plays.”