Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Yulee's practice appearance a moving experience
9/4/2019 9:47:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Redshirt junior linebacker is out for the rest of the 2019 season
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jaquan Yulee, wearing a white sleeveless shirt and green shorts, walked out of the Shewey Building and onto the playing surface of Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Monday evening. Not quite 48 hours had passed since Yulee was carted off the field after an on-field collision during Marshall's season-opening win against VMI on Saturday.
Athletic department policy prevents the nature of Yulee's injury from being discussed here, but head coach Doc Holliday said Monday afternoon that redshirt junior linebacker would miss the remainder of the season. What happened between the time Yulee waved to the crowd while lying on his back on a stretcher is off-limits here, although Yulee and his family have been transparent about the process on social media.
And again on Monday it was Yulee's father, Fred, who took to social media to share a photo of his son walking out of the hospital. Jaquan Yulee then made it a point to stop by the stadium and walk onto the field he couldn't exit under his own power, and as soon as he emerged from the football building and was noticed by his teammates, applause broke out.
One player let out an extended "Yeah!"
Then, one by one, Yulee hugged every teammate, coach and any other person associated with the program he could find. The air must be particularly dusty around Yulee these days, because there always seems to be someone near him who is wiping away tears.
Not Yulee, though. He smiled from the hospital when he contacted friends and coaches via FaceTime. He smiled when he saw Mark Gale, the team's Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations, in Gale's office. Yulee flashed that toothy grin at his close friend, Tyler King, who wanted a "big hug." Yulee found Holliday and Athletic Director Mike Hamrick and team chaplain Steve Harvey during practice for a quick embrace and a brief chat.
On a short week – and with a long trip to face No. 24 Boise State on Friday night at 9 on ESPN2 – the Marshall football team had not a moment to spare during preparation. Except for this.
From my vantage point, rarely do I recall a sports moment being as moving as seeing Yulee walk with such purpose onto the field Monday evening. Rarely do I recall a team being so unified around a single player. The nature of the injury is obviously serious. The nature of the person injured showed in the love shown toward Yulee.
"This moment it happened, it was a pretty sad ordeal because of how hard he worked to get to this moment," said senior linebacker Omari Cobb, referring to Yulee's first career start Saturday night. "Then you could tell by his energy on the field, when he was out there, how he tried to keep everybody up and trying to tell everybody that he was going to be OK.
"When he was hospital he was real positive and he wanted everyone to feel comfortable. He is a great dude, positive, and he's always trying to help people. He's an uplifting guy."
Yulee was named the team's Defensive Champion for his efforts against VMI, which included 20 plays, two tackles, three assisted tackles, one sack and one pass breakup. His absence will leave a void in the middle of the Herd's defense. Holliday said he will count on Cobb to slide inside to Yulee's position, and players like local product Tyler Brown and true freshmen Eli Neal and J'Coryan Anderson will be counted on for a bigger role.
"When somebody goes down, the next guy has to step up," Holliday said.
After Yulee left the Shewey Building, he returned to his Huntington home to rest. He engaged with as many people as possible on various social media platforms, and then he saw a video of his Monday evening entrance, which had been viewed more than 100,000 times.
"I love my team," he wrote when he shared the video.
If he had any doubts, there are none now: They love him too.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
