Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton and Kentucky linebacker J.J. Weaver are the winners of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year award.
The Mayo Clinic’s comeback players of the year were announced Tuesday and will be honored Jan. 1 at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
Hutchinson returned from a season-ending ankle injury in 2020 to become an All-American and Heisman Trophy runner-up for the playoff-bound, Big Ten champion Wolverines (12-1).
A torn knee ligament cut short Weaver’s 2020 season, but his physical rehabilitation was only part of the challenge he faced in returning to football in 2021. He also had to overcome the grief of losing both his father and high school coach.
Milton’s comeback was more than two years in the making after he suffered a severe leg injury in 2018 while playing for Central Florida. After missing two full seasons, he beat the odds simply by being able to walk again unassisted.
