It’s only been three months since Auburn’s Carl Lawson had surgery to rebuild a torn ACL, which he suffered during spring practice, and the defensive end already appears to be ahead of schedule with his rehabilitation.
Lawson’s early progress has been promising enough that a couple of his teammates believes he can return to the field this fall.
“I don’t know the timetable on it, but I know he’s doing good, because we were in rehab together all summer, I know he works hard,” defensive end LaDarius Owens told Al.com. “He’s trying to come back as soon as he can.”
The normal timetable for an athlete to return from an ACL tear is within six to nine months after surgery. Even if Lawson is ahead of schedule, the earliest Auburn should expect him to return is in November as the team prepares for its stretch run in SEC play. Once Lawson is back on field, it’s unlikely he’ll be the same player he was during a promising freshman campaign when he finished second on team with four sacks. It usually takes a full year before an athlete has full range of motion and confidence in the injured knee.
Despite these concerns, Lawson is impressing those who have seen him in recent weeks.
“He looked good,” linebacker Kris Frost said. “I saw him moving around, a lot, actually. I’m really confident about him being able to come back. I’m not sure when, but you know, whenever the time is right, we’re going to be ready for him.”