Lineman's comeback surprises

ATLANTA - For Jeremy Phillips, the harshest blow didn't come from the spring practice leg whip that turned the ligaments of his left knee into spaghetti.

It was the news he received while lying in a hospital that night back in 2001.

"They told me I was going to be a starter," Phillips said.

After spending nearly two years of grueling rehabilitation and sleepless nights as he wrestled with his football future, Phillips is a starter on the offensive line for Georgia Tech.

Against North Carolina State, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound sophomore made his first career start, taking the place of injured right tackle Kyle Wallace. With Wallace healthy enough to play this week against Florida State, Phillips moves to right tackle for the ailing Nat Dorsey.

It's far from Phillips' position in late July, right before the Yellow Jackets' season began. It was then that he had to decide whether his college football dream was over before he ever got on the field.

"I'm shocked, totally shocked," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "They'd given me a prognosis that if he played again, it would be lucky for the end of this year or next year. To me, it was a long shot that he'd play again."

Phillips was redshirted in 2000 and impressed coaches in the spring of 2001. While pass blocking, Phillips went down after someone rolled into his leg. Having torn ligaments in his right knee in high school, he immediately knew what had happened.

Phillips tore his anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments - the triple crown of knee injuries - as well as the vastus medialis, a muscle that allows the knee to extend.

"My doctor said it was like a firecracker went off inside my knee," Phillips said.

Rehab began - slowly - and continued into the summer. With coaches questioning whether he would ever play again, Phillips spent a night thinking it over.

"It was getting to be kind of crunch time as to what I was going to do, if I was going to play or hang it up," he said. "I lay there one night, and I couldn't sleep. I couldn't grasp the concept of not playing; I didn't know what I would do. So I thought I'll stick it out."

About the same time, Phillips began feeling better. He could handle running and agility drills. He steadily worked his way up from third string on the depth chart. Phillips made his college debut against Connecticut and played against Virginia after Wallace injured his ankle.

Then came the N.C. State game. Phillips learned the day before the game he'd be starting against the defense that led the nation in sacks.

"I was pretty jumpy the first half. It's been awhile since I played that much," said Phillips, who was on the field for nearly every offensive snap. "I was a little bit excited and nervous. It took me a while to calm down and realize everything was going good."

His knee still gets stiff when it rains and after tough workouts. Phillips has to ice it every day. His right leg still dwarfs the left in terms of strength and size.

"Not many people get this opportunity to do what I'm doing," he said.

To Phillips, it's been worth it.