MIAMI GARDENS — Despite not playing this season, outside linebacker Terrell Lewis has been one of Alabama’s more popular players.

Lewis suffered a regular season-ending knee injury when he tore his ACL this summer. He underwent surgery in July, and has been sidelined all year. Lewis also missed the majority of last season with an elbow injury before returning in the Iron Bowl.

I caught up with Lewis during Thursday’s Orange Bowl Media Day to get the latest on his rehab process, if he’ll play Saturday night in the Orange Bowl matchup against Oklahoma and more. I also spoke with Alabama head athletic trainer Jeff Allen to understand what is a legitimate timetable for a return from an ACL injury.

Question: Where are you at with the rehab?

Terrell Lewis: Still progressing and moving forward. Starting to do more and more stuff as far as being on the field and moving around. Doing 7-on-7 stuff. Getting back in the motion of doing football stuff and getting acclimated with the plays and adjustments we’re doing.

Q: How does the knee feel when you’re back out there?

TL: Physically, it feels good. It has its days where it’ll be a little more sore than others, but that’s to be expected for the most part coming back from an injury. Usually I’ll have good days, and then I’ll have days where it’s a little sore and I should lighten up on how much I’m pounding on it. But it’s pretty good.

Q: Where are you in terms of your lateral movement?

TL: For the most part, it’s good. I’m moving well in terms of lateral movement. I feel like there is always something I can improve on in terms of lateral movement and staying low. I focus on the little things and critique myself.

Q: Do you think you’ll play Saturday?

TL: I don’t know, probably not.

Q: Everyone has been following your rehab process. What does it mean to have all the fans behind you?

TL: I know a lot of people have been waiting to see me play. I know I’ve been waiting to see me play. Last year, I missed a lot before coming back. That was kind of like a good preview of what to expect. Then I had a good spring so I knew coming into this year it should be the time, then boom. I appreciate that people still want to see me play, and that they’re supporting me.

Q: How has it been mentally dealing with serious injuries in back-to-back years?

TL: It’s been humbling knowing you have to live in the moment. I can’t really look forward to the future. I just have to focus on where I am right now. I can’t look back in the past and think about how many games I’ve missed. Just have to be appreciative of every day, and when I get to play, play every snap like it’s my last.

After speaking with Lewis, I grabbed Alabama head athletic trainer Jeff Allen to better understand what the timetable was for a return from an ACL injury.

Question: How long does it take to get back to full strength and be able to play after an ACL injury?

Jeff Allen: I think with an ACL, you can be back playing in 6 or 7 months. Somewhere in that range is a reasonable time frame. But in terms of being normal and feeling normal, I think it’s probably a 9-to-10 month recovery. What Terrell has done is amazing. He’s such a hard worker. It carries over and his rehab speaks to what type of player he is. How he works as a player in the weight room and on the field, he rehabs the same way. When you have a guy like that who has that type of mentality in rehab, they’re going to do well. Especially when you combine the fact that he’s such a genetically gifted athlete, it’s amazing.

Q: How do you, your staff and the staff in general help a player like Lewis from a mental standpoint considering he’s dealt with two serious injuries in back-to-back seasons?

JA: I think that was the biggest challenge with Terrell. It’s such a tough situation on him. He’s such a key player for us and such a great teammate. For him to miss all of last season except for the last few games and then all of this year when he had such high hopes and aspirations, that was something we dealt with right from the start. We have a great team of counselors and sports psychologists that work with our program. That’s been beneficial to him. He has handled it unbelievably both physically and probably more so mentally.