Cyclones clear Dunning for return after year-long absence

AMES - Jacob Dunning never fathomed an injury would take him away from the gridiron for a year, but that was the obstacle he faced.

And 373 days since he went down with a devastating knee injury, Dunning finally got to return to Iowa State practice after plenty of uncertainty.

'It was awesome,” Dunning said. 'I talked to Coach (Brandon Blaney) earlier that day (Sept. 21) and he asked me if I was ready to take off the training wheels per se and ready to get out there full go with the twos. It felt really good.”

Dunning left the field at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 13, 2014, against Iowa and was taken to the training room underneath the venue. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman had gone down with a knee injury and upon evaluation, a ruptured patella tendon was going to take him away from football for the foreseeable future.

'We're just happy he's back,” said ISU Coach Paul Rhoads. 'There was an equal chance he wouldn't ever be able to even play again. The difference between him and Patrick (Scoggins) is Jacob's was below the knee and Patrick's was above the knee. There is more meat to work with up here as far as the repair and the rehab time is much shorter as far as that goes.”

Three days after Dunning's injury, he underwent surgery to repair his ruptured tendon and started a plan for the rehabilitation process. Once he recovered from surgery, Dunning went through a litany of tests every four to six weeks to test mobility and leg strength.

During the ISU bye week, Dunning was cleared for contact and Rhoads said the goal is to work him into the two-deep rotation on the offensive line. The number of snaps and the impact he can make up front for the Cyclones remains to be seen, but Dunning said the perspective he's gained has been refreshing as he strapped on the pads for the first time in a full year.

'When you see guys injured on the sideline, you don't necessarily know what they're going through until you've been there,” Dunning said. 'I was there and got to see it from the flip side. I think I appreciate sport a lot more and go out and play with a passion. I definitely feel like I'm a bigger part of the team.”

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