Sam Brooks stood on the field at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, tears welling up in his eyes, and reflected.
He ended his high school career on top, leading the Miami Northwestern Bulls to a second consecutive Class 6A state championship 14 months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
One week later, he would sign his national letter of intent with the Miami Hurricanes, the hometown team who stayed with him throughout his road to recovery.
“The same day I tore my ACL, the UM coaches blew my phone up. They said they weren’t going to change their mind about me — they loved me, they wanted me on campus,” Brooks said.