Nick Fitzgerald enters 2018 as one of the most important SEC players.

On one hand, he could be projected as high as a first-round pick, and on the other hand, everyone is wondering how he’ll bounce back from his gruesome Egg Bowl ankle injury. That was discussed a lot at SEC Media Days, in fact.

While speaking with ESPNU Radio Wednesday morning, Fitzgerald was asked his immediate thoughts about seeing his ankle in a completely different location than it should have been.

“Right when I looked own and saw my foot sideways and backwards and all kinds of different stuff, the first thought that went through my mind was ‘is this the end of my playing career?'”

That’s certainly a scary thought, and it’s apparent the pain hadn’t hit him at that point. Thankfully, he’s 100 percent ahead of fall camp and looks to have a huge senior season for Joe Moorhead and the Bulldogs.

Fitzgerald detailed his injury and his recovery with ESPNU Radio:

Fitzgerald also blamed himself Wednesday morning for his ankle injury.