Dalton’s Cobb better than ever after overcoming ACL tear
DALTON, Ga. — Every workout he completes, every practice he goes through and each game he plays in gets Zeke Cobb a little further away from Aug. 21, 2015.
Fresh off a solid sophomore season at Dalton High School, the speedy 6-foot-3 receiver, who was already getting serious looks from Southeastern Conference schools, was set to make a splash as the Catamounts opened their season against Scottsboro.
Cobb didn’t make it past the first series, however. A complete tear of his ACL ended his season and severely affected his future. Power Five college programs rarely wait until a player’s senior season to make scholarship offers, especially to one coming off a serious knee injury.
To regain recruiters’ attention, Cobb not only would have to put in hundreds of hours to recover from the injury but also would have to prove during the summer and early season that he could regain his former level of play and do so without any mental hangups.
Two games into the 2016 season, he’s done all that and more.
“It looks like he’s not missed a beat,” Dalton coach Matt Land said. “You could just see with every route and every pass he catches he’s getting better. Zeke has always had confidence in his ability, and he embraces the expectations people put on him. The biggest challenge this year is he’s having to remember to play within his capabilities and not try to do too much.”
In week one against Calhoun, Cobb caught two touchdown passes, one over the middle as he leapt between two defenders, exposing his lower body and coming down with a twist after the hit. He had passed his first real test.
“That meant a lot, and I was just really excited to be back out there,” he said. “I had some jitters about the first hit, because you know it’s coming, but once I got it I was all right. Now I’m just doing my thing.”
What he does is provide the Catamounts with something they sorely missed last year, the big play. Last week as the Cats were locked in a scoreless game with rival Northwest Whitfield early in the second half, Cobb caught a pass on first down on a seven-yard hitch route.
Two plays later he ran that same route, only this time turning downfield after a head fake by quarterback J.P. Tighe. Cobb caught the ball at the Northwest 20 and raced toward the end zone, where he absorbed a hard hit before scoring.
The game had been changed and the receiver put a little more distance between himself and last August.
“I never doubted I could get back out here and play my game, but other people did,” he said. “I would say I have my confidence back, and it means a great deal because missing last year was no fun. This team can be really good, and I want to be a big part of it.”
Recruiters have taken notice. He reports several offers, including one from Mississippi State, and is also getting serious looks from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, Western Kentucky, Coastal Carolina and Mercer.
The brace he wears and the scar on his knee always will remind Cobb of that muggy August Friday night 13 months ago when his athletic world was turned upside down. But as the 2016 season moves forward they will become more a source of pride and accomplishment instead of the unknown they once represented.
His coach, for one, believes Cobb is a better player and person after going through it.
“Zeke has always shown flashes of greatness since we first saw him as a freshman,” Land said. “He’s already accomplished a great deal by coming back and working as hard as he has. He’s matured during the process, and I know he can better handle the expectations he and everybody else puts on him.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22
“I would say I have my confidence back, and it means a great deal because missing last year was no fun.” — ZEKE COBB