Dillon, Craft embrace 1 last season
At the end of summer conditioning in July, Memphis senior wide receiver Sam Craft addressed his team in their last huddle at the Liberty Bowl.
“I love this city. I love this team. I love this school with all my heart. All the work we put in this summer, it’s going to pay off,” Craft said in a video he posted to social media.
He was talking about the Tigers, but he easily could have been talking about himself and fellow senior Jackson Dillon. After consecutive season-
ending injuries, their love for Memphis has driven them back this fall for one more chance to play football.
Memphis coach Mike Norvell said in the spring he expected both to receive a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. So far — he’s been right. Craft recently found out that he will be able to play this year.
Dillon said Friday he expects a decision by Monday and added that he feels confident he’ll get it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone through the first week of practice.
“They’re both similar,” Norvell said. “Hardworking, very motivated to be successful and they’re going to be great leaders for us.”
Yet, neither Craft nor Dillon desire to simply be role models of perseverance. They want to lead on the field and both have found a joy in showing it every day.
Craft finds fun again
The throw from Brady White was perfect. The catch — an over-the-shoulder by Craft — was spectacular.
Craft took the pass and raced to the end zone during Memphis’ practice Wednesday. His fellow receivers, along with the offense, chased him down and jumped around in jubilant celebration.
Craft flashed a big smile and did a dance from the popular video game “Fortnite” where he tapped his feet up and down with his hands in the air.
“It was a nice play and a great catch,” sophomore wide receiver Damonte Coxie said. “We’re happy to see Craft out there really running and he’s having fun.”
It was a far cry from the spring when Craft often labored through individual drills at half speed. He wasn’t fully cleared for team workouts after tearing his ACL last preseason and missing the entire 2017 season.
With surgery last fall making recovery more difficult than his season-ending back injury in 2016, he reminded himself of a simple mantra to not let his mood stay down.
“Stay positive. Don’t let that negative creep inside and distract you from what your goal is,” said Craft, who started 23 games from 2013-16 and also played in 18 games for the men’s basketball team in 2015-16.
Even in his toughest moments, he never thought about quitting because Memphis means something more to him. He grew up hearing stories of his father, Ray, playing for the Tigers and facing teams like Alabama, Florida State, and Florida.
It’s why the native Memphian wanted to commit to the Tigers, and why he didn’t want to give up his career after a second setback.
“Why not take this chance? Why not take this opportunity that was given to me? I just want to give it my all one more time and see what happens,” Craft said.
Dillon pain-free and full speed
Jackson Dillon’s road back started midway in the spring when he resumed full contract drills.
He appeared winded as he struggled to get his conditioning back following a season-ending shoulder injury in the 2017 season opener.
Through preseason practice so far, that’s no longer an issue. He’s resembled the aggressive player he was from 2013-15 and exclusively taken first-team reps at his usual KAT linebacker hybrid role.
“He’s worked his tail off to get back with us and I’m grateful for that because we need him,” junior linebacker Austin Hall said.
The main difference this summer, Dillon said? He’s not playing through pain as he said he did in the last two preseason camps. That’s improved his attitude as much as his play.
“I’m 100 percent healed up and not patched up,” Dillon said.
During Media Day, he was in such a lighthearted mood that in a video interview, he talked about his mullet haircut and joking about it being a lifestyle.
The video, which has 1.2 million views as of press time, shows him saying, among other things, that it will look so majestic by the season opener that people will think he drives a 1969 Camaro listening to Motley Crüe.
It was a happier side of Dillon, who admitted last year he battled depression, painkillers, and alcohol while recovering from his season-ending knee injury in 2016.
He said he’s more at peace on the field now. Like Craft, he knows the game is fleeting and this is his last chance to suit up for Memphis.
“Being away from it, you don’t take it for granted anymore,” Dillon said, “I don’t take one day for granted. One snap, nothing. You just never know when anything wrong could go. I just love it and it’s the time of my life.”
That’s the attitude both he and Craft have taken. A freedom to enjoy the game, the grind, and camaraderie of their teammates.
In the video Craft posted, he also fired up his teammates by saying “We gonna hit them in the mouth” in regards to opponents this year.”
It’s a fearless, confident attitude. One that both he and Dillon have displayed in camp fighting for one more season at Memphis and grind their way back for a more satisfying ending.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Dillon said, “I love playing football.”