Tre Nixon was well on his way to a standout senior season. The UCF wide receiver was a favorite early target of Dillon Gabriel in the Sept. 19 season opener at Georgia Tech, hauling in four catches for 94 yards, two of them for hard-fought touchdowns.
However, on his final touchdown catch right before the end of the first half, Nixon landed awkwardly on his chest. As x-rays would later reveal, he suffered a dislocated collarbone which sidelined him for the next two months. He did return for the last two games this season, beginning with the No. 21 game against Cincinnati, and says he's feeling better than ever as UCF prepares for next week's Boca Raton Bowl against BYU.
In his first interview since the injury, Nixon spoke about his rehabilitation process and what he wants to prove in the bowl game. He also addressed the possibility of returning next season.
What does it mean to be back playing football? You were having a great game in the season opener at Georgia Tech. Already had a couple touchdowns and unfortunately on the last touchdown came down hard. Missed most of the season, but came back late. What was the process like getting back, I'm sure maybe you wondered if it was possible to come back.
"It's a blessing. I can't thank God enough just to be back on the field. I'll be honest. I was in a dark spot. I was thinking, why me? Why this kind of timing? Coming into my senior season. I just remember that ambulance ride with Ed, one of our trainers. I told Ed, after all the crying and pain was over, I asked when is the Cincinnati game? He told me eight weeks. How long does it take to come back from a dislocated collarbone? He said eight weeks. I just made my mind set from that point on that I'm coming back for Cincinnati. That just told me just how powerful the mind can really be. I attacked what I ate, my sleeping schedule, the rehab. I attacked it like I did for a game. God put me back on the field. It's a blessing to be back out there."
You talked about that dark time. It must have been difficult not only coming back from an injury, but dealing with COVID protocols. Did that add more stress?
"Absolutely. I felt the biggest stress came from the number of games. I didn't know what was promised. It was already a shortened schedule. I was really hoping we can get these games in and they don't get canceled. Like I said, I was in a dark place. The people around me, my teammates, ,my coaches, my family, they all were keeping me up. Praying every night that I'd get back out there. I felt like everything worked out how it was supposed to. I feel God has a plan for everybody. That's the route I ended up taking. It's just a blessing to be back out there with my teammates practicing again and playing again."
What if anything did you take away during your time away? Watching the team from afar that maybe helped you?
"The coverages. I feel when you're on the field and you're looking at coverages and you can only see half the field. When I saw it from the TV copy I could see everything. I could see what Jaylon is doing, what Marlon is doing. What DG is looking at. What covers they're rolling into. I got a spectator's view of how the games go. I was on my couch every game screaming and shorting like I was a fan in the stadium for my teammates. The biggest thing that I got out of that whole experience is how powerful the mind is. Every game that I saw, I saw Marlon ball out, saw Flash ball out, that motivated me to work my butt off in rehab to get back out there and do the same thing they're doing. That just goes to show how powerful that mind can be if you really put your mind to something."
Now that you've been cleared for the past month, you've gone through a couple games, more practices. Probably getting more into the groove, maybe like how you felt prior to the injury. For the bowl game, what do you want to prove? You probably feel like you're ready for that breakout performance.
"Absolutely. I feel like the biggest thing I want to prove to myself is I still got it. The biggest thing for me this week in practice is I feel back to where I was at Georgia Tech. Coming into Cincinnati, I was a little out of shape. Fresh legs out there. South Florida was a good game to get under my belt. Going through this week of practice, I truly felt like I'm getting back to game shape. Catching the balls, running, finishing plays. I'm really getting back to how I felt mentally and physically for Georgia Tech. The biggest thing I want to do against BYU is go out there and prove to myself that I've still go it and I can play at a high level and compete."
The NCAA is allowing an extra year of eligibility. Have you thought about coming back next year?
"Of course it's a thought. I've been thinking about that ever since I went down with the collarbone issue. I feel like my focus right now is on BYU and it's only been on BYU. The biggest thing I learned, just going down with the injury, is I'm taking it one day at a time. My main focus is to have a great game against BYU and help my team as much as I can to get that W. When the time comes, I'm going to talk with my family. Talk with the people around me, in my circle, and we'll make a decision. Absolutely, it has been a thought. It's just a blessing the NCAA did something like that because it's a different year for all the athletes. That's huge."
What's it been like watching Marlon Williams this season? He's become one of the best receivers in the nation. As a teammate for a few years, what's that been like?
"It's amazing. It's crazy because I think preseason he wasn't on a Biletnikoff list. He wasn't on the All-American teams. In house, being his teammate, we all knew what Marlon could do. It was only a matter of the opportunity for him. I feel like he took that opportunity and ran with it. Every game, just me watching me from a spectator standpoint, I knew he was about to go off every game he played. He really did that in every game. It goes to show you, whether it's Flash, Marlon, Jacob, we have a lot of dudes on this team that can make plays. When their name is called, they can answer the bell."
Outside of a New Year's Six bowl, this is probably one of the best bowl matchups out there. BYU is going to be a top 15 team. If UCF wins, maybe that's a game that pushes you guys into the top 25. Talk about that matchup and how pumped up you are to try to finish on a high note.
"I love the matchup. I remember going to sleep the night before BYU got announced. I was thinking we might not have a bowl game because ACC team after ACC team was canceling or opting out. I was thinking going to sleep, man, I don't know if we're going to have another game. I woke up the next morning and we got BYU. I feel like that's a huge blessing. Not only is BYU a really good, veteran team, it's a top 15 matchup. We need to go in there and handle business. This is a game that can give us momentum going into the following year as well. It's a blessing all around because BYU is a really good team and it's going to be a really good game to watch."
In the process of getting back on the field, was there anyone you leaned on to keep you motivated?
"I've got a crazy story to tell y'all. Alex Harris, he went down with an ACL injury. Last year I barely spoke two or three words to Alex the whole year. This year, 2020, I ended up being roommates with him. He goes down with an ACL. I go down with a collarbone. I feel like that goes to show God puts people in your life for a reason. Me and Alex both lifted each other up. He couldn't use his legs, I couldn't use my upper body. We were helping each other day in and day out. I feel like it's a blessing. I've gotten so close with him. I love the guy now. God put people in your life for a reason. We kept each other up throughout the whole process. Kept each other motivated. Now we're both building from the ground up. I'm really excited to see what we both can do in the future."
Did this experience teach you about yourself, your mindset and ability to persevere?
"I feel like the biggest thing this whole thing taught me is to not take anything for granted. Not that I took football for granted, but I felt I was in a rhythm into where I was just going to practice, doing what I got to do, doing the extra work. I feel like I really took a step back and looked from outside in. You really miss football. Sitting on the couch, not really having a workout schedule, not going to practice. It makes you think. I miss being around the guys. I miss playing football. I found out by myself how mentally strong I can be. I was in a dark place. I told myself I'm coming back for Cincinnati. Day in and day out, that was the only game I was thinking about. Ultimately I came back and I was able to play in that game. It shows how mentally strong you can be if you put your mind to it."
When you got hurt, did you know right away it was severe?
"To be honest, I didn't. I went down and felt a sharp pain in my chest area. Initially I thought I got the wind knocked out of me. I remember telling Miss Mary, I think I'm good. Then I got up and walked, and as soon as I walked two steps I knew something wasn't right. I didn't know if it was my collarbone, my shoulder, my chest. I could definitely feel, as I was moving and my body was bouncing around, that something wasn't right. I knew ultimately that I'd be missing some time."
