Vols' Reveiz climbs back from knee injury

Tennessee linebacker Nick Reveiz talks with reporters on Friday during SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. The fifth-year senior is attempting a comeback from a knee injury that cut his 2009 season short. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Rare is it that athletes shrug off career-threatening injuries near the peak of their careers. Nick Reveiz did -- with faith, perseverance and resilience.

Flashback to Sept. 26, 2009: Reveiz is barking out calls to teammates on the surface of Shields-Watkins Field in front of 95,535 fans as the Tennessee Volunteers are in an unexpectedly tight contest against Ohio.

The 5-foot-10, 224-pound middle linebacker enjoying just his fifth start in four years on campus in Knoxville drops to the ground away from the play unexpectedly.

"I was just running. No one even hit me. I felt my knee just kind of pop and tore my ACL and meniscus," he described to reporters at SEC Media Days.

His season abruptly over, Reveiz admitted the following week that he broke down a couple times at practice looking on with the aid of crutches.

"It's just one of those things that I feel like God puts in your path and it's how you react. You just have to react positively," he said.

Orange a given

When Nicholas Fuad Reveiz was born into this world on March 29, 1988, a life of football in orange was twice as likely to be in his future as a diaper.

His father, Fuad, has been entrenched in the Tennessee record books for banging through 27 field goals in the 1982 season. He finished his career with a UT-best 71 made field goals and played 11 seasons in the National Football League. Nick's uncle, Carlos, kicked true 24 field goals in 1985.

However, Nick Reveiz is proof that legacy, school size and location don't always lead to a scholarship.

All Reveiz did was pile up over 280 tackles over his last two seasons at Farragut High en route to being named Class 5A All-State and a Mr. Football finalist.

Such honors earned at one of the largest schools in Tennessee just 17 miles from Neyland Stadium by the son of a former Vol great should have turned the head of UT coach Phillip Fulmer and his staff but didn't.

No matter, Reveiz simply enrolled at Tennessee in the fall of 2006 and went out for the football team as a walk-on. His brother, Shane, did the same the following year.

Key player

Reveiz uses crutches to work his way to the sideline prior to the start of the Alabama-Tennessee game in Tuscaloosa last October. (T-G File Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Four years and 30 games played later, Nick Reveiz was tabbled preseason All-SEC on Friday and is the heart and soul of a Tennessee team predicted by the media to place fifth in the SEC East, which isn't a shock considering the team went 7-6 in '09, got embarrassed by Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl 37-14 and is on its third coach in as many seasons.

When Derek Dooley took over as head coach at Rocky Top in January, he sat down for a one-on-one meeting with every player on the roster.

Lacking the prototypical linebacker size and having come to UT without a row of stars from recruiting services next to his name, Reveiz wondered if he'd have to prove himself yet again to get the respect he deserves. But, he said the sit-down went great.

"(Dooley) opened his arms to me and said, 'Listen, you're a senior and I want you to lead this team.' So, it was comfortable to know that he trusted in me, he had seen my film and had known about me and wanted me to lead this team. I've got a really good relationship with coach Dooley."

Dooley himself is a former walk-on who turned down scholarship offers in order to play for Virginia. He later earned a scholarship with the Cavaliers from coach George Welsh.

"I think (Dooley) kind of related to me a little bit," said Reveiz, who totaled 27 tackles last season. "It is comforting to know, 'Hey, former walk-on or whatever, I don't care. If you can play then you can play.' So, it's been cool to get to know coach Dooley."

State pride

Tennessee fans, this is the guy you want leading the team out of the tunnel when the Pride of the Southland Marching Band opens up the "T" on game day. This is one of those in-state guys who has never even considered playing his Saturday football someplace other than Neyland Stadium.

The only statistic that carries a greater number than the amount of leg extensions Reveiz has done getting his knee back in shape is the number of times he's said, "I love Tennessee."

Think Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger with biceps and foot speed.

Reveiz is the first former walk-on to be named a team captain since J.J. McCleskey in 1992. Fellow senior and defensive end Chris Walker made it clear that he will be proud to have Nick back next to him in the huddle.

"The guys that we had in after Nick got hurt, they were awesome players, but nothing can replace Nick's energy, Nick's heart and his passion for the game that he plays," Walker said. "He's a student of the game, and he knows a lot of things. Just having him back adds another notch to our defense, another piece of encouragement, a heady player who knows the game."

High achiever

Reveiz, who wrestled his way to two state titles in the 215-pound class while at Farragut, already has an undergraduate degree in enterprise management. He's earned Academic All-SEC honors 2007-09.

When the Vols open up fall practice on Aug. 4, Reveiz will trot onto the field as first-team linebacker.

"For me personally, I've been ready to get on the field for about five months now," said Reveiz of the rehabilitation process. "It's been a long time for me. As far as I know, they've taken the reigns off and I'm glad. I want to get back to playing and doing everything that I can.

"In football, if you're playing timid and you're playing to prevent getting hurt then eventually you will get hurt. In my mind, I haven't been hurt. I'm 100 percent. I'm ready to go."