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Tight end Jordon McMichael redshirted his freshman year at BC, then overcame double hip surgery to become a valued cog. (Photo Courtesy of Boston College) |
Timing was off on route
McMichael finally making his mark
He came out of high school as the tight end of the future. Oklahoma was interested. So was Nebraska. And so was Boston College, largely because former BC wide receiver Brandon Robinson kept telling the coaches that the big kid from the Breck School in Minneapolis could fit in at BC, just the way Robinson did when he left Breck.
Jordon McMichael appreciated the help, the guidance, especially when he thought about not only football, but life after football.
“My top three were BC, Oklahoma, and Nebraska,’’ said McMichael. “I didn’t like Oklahoma that much because I’m from Minnesota and it’s really hot down there.’’
It was more than that, of course. During his senior season at Breck, McMichael did whatever he had to do to help his team win. He played offensive and defensive end. He also played with pain in both hips that wouldn’t go away.
McMichael played through it, dealt with it. But it affected his decision about where to go to college. He looked at the big picture, and what a degree from BC could mean.
“I picked BC over the other two because they have a great educational program and I felt like if something like an injury were to happen, I’d still want to get an education out of where I went,’’ said McMichael.
He thought about a lot during his freshman year at BC as he redshirted, but he didn’t say a whole lot as the pain in his hips persisted.
“It just got worse my freshman year, and then it turned a little worse my sophomore year,’’ said McMichael. “I finally got it checked out. It turned out I had two torn labrums and needed double hip surgery at the age of 19. I was feeling like I was 80 years old when I went to the hospital.’’
The surgery took place in New York City in February 2008.
Two years without football and with pain were finally coming to an end.
“It was good that there was something there because it made me look a little more credible when I was always getting hurt,’’ said McMichael. “There’s still soreness and there will always be soreness, but I’m as good as it will ever be.’’
McMichael played sporadically last season, catching his first touchdown pass against Maryland, from Billy Flutie on a fake field goal. His role this season has been to meld into a system with tight ends Chris Pantale and Lars Anderson.
For one instant last Saturday against Wake Forest, McMichael gave BC fans a glimpse of the past, when he was the hotshot recruit.
Running a pattern in the first quarter, the 6-foot-5-inch, 262-pound junior cut across the middle and saw a pass from quarterback Dave Shinskie that looked to be overthrown. But McMichael stuck one hand out, grabbed the ball, and sprinted 50 yards into the end zone.
“When I see it [on replay], it’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I actually caught that ball,’ ’’ said McMichael. “It looked like it was out of my reach. I guess I underestimated the length of my arm.
“It was a great catch. In my career, it was probably the best catch I’ve ever made, going all the way back to first-grade football.’’
McMichael will probably need catches like that to get the BC offense going tomorrow against a Florida State team that will show up at Alumni Stadium in a snarly mood after losing to South Florida last week.
He says it has been business as usual this week as he becomes more comfortable with Shinskie, the Eagles’ 25-year-old freshman quarterback, although a minor leg injury kept him out of practice yesterday.
McMichael is listed as probable on the injury report, but according to coach Frank Spaziani, that term doesn’t mean much, considering everything he has been through.
“He was always a great kid,’’ said Spaziani. “He worked hard. He’s out there every day. He’s been injured and he comes out and works his way through it and that pays off.’’
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
