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Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell overcomes injury, fear with huge 2015
By John Hollis
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They were things that had once come so easily to Ole Miss All-American wide receiver Laquon Treadwell before the gruesome injury that prematurely ended his 2014 season.
Slants and fade routes had become among his signature works in establishing himself as one of the nation’s top receiving talents and a sure bet to hear his name called early in the NFL Draft.
But all that changed when the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Treadwell was dragged down from behind in the waning moments of a loss to Auburn on Nov. 1, 2014, suffering a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula that suddenly cast his future in doubt.
But the junior from Crete, Ill., worked tirelessly during the offseason to make sure he was physically ready and back in the lineup for the Rebels’ season opener against Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 5.
He was physically back, but, as Treadwell discovered, a full recovery from an injury is as much mental as it is physical. It quickly became obvious to Treadwell that he still had a ways to go as of early in the season.
“I was dropping easy slants and couldn’t find fades (up in the air),” Treadwell said in Atlanta recently, before the 25th Annual Home Depot College Football Awards Show. “I was so worried about people falling on my legs. Things that were always easy for me became hard.
“I was very frustrated.”
Teammates continued to encourage him, but Treadwell knew what he had to do. He wasn’t about to accept his new status quo as a permanent one and adopted the same aggressive approach he had taken during his physical rehabilitation. That meant staying on the field with teammates like quarterback Chad Kelly well after practice to catch more balls. He had to get past the thought of the injury and play as fearlessly as he had before.
It didn’t happen immediately, but Treadwell soon began to resort to old form. Treadwell led all SEC receivers with 1,082 yards, while ranking second in the conference with 76 catches to lead the Rebels to a second-place SEC West finish and a berth in the upcoming AllState Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma State on Jan. 1.
A finalist for the Biletnikoff Award that annually goes to the nation’s best receiver, Treadwell tallied five of his school-record six 100-yard receiving games and seven of his eight touchdown receptions in the final seven games of the season, including a season-best, 14-catch, 144-yard effort in the loss to Memphis.
“It was frustrating, but I expected to work through it,” he said. “I knew one day it would show. From day one (of the rehab), I knew the hard work would pay off.”
He has 195 career receptions and needs just three more in the Sugar Bowl to become the school’s all-time leader. Treadwell is also poised to break two more significant single-season school marks with two catches and 54 receiving yards.
He displayed his versatility as well this year, passing for a 68-yard touchdown to fellow receiver Quincy Adeboyejo.
For his efforts, Treadwell earned first-team All-SEC and third-team Associated Press All-American honors. He remains undecided, however, about his NFL future, although he’s sure to be a high first-round selection should he opt against returning for his senior season as many expect.
In the meantime, however, he’s just thrilled to be back to being his old self. Mentally as well as physically.
“It was a battle the whole season,” Treadwell said.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
