UAB lineman Trey Bedosky battles back from injuries to play important role
Jalen Kitna could get the nod at quarterback for UAB in their 10/5 home game against Tulane.
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - October 3, 2024
Aches and pains were part of the process when Trey Bedosky woke up this past Sunday. The UAB offensive tackle had creaky knees and ankles that were cracking as he walked. Truth is, there wasn’t much that didn’t hurt.
All in all, it was a welcome feeling for the 6-foot-6 redshirt senior offensive tackle.
You see, the aches and pains are part of life for a college football player, particularly one that plays on the line of scrimmage. But, the aches and pain that come after game day take it to another level. And Bedosky got to experience that for the first time in a full calendar year (plus two days).
“It felt very good,” said Bedosky. “You know after last season, it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. I don't think I played the best and you know I was just kind of like waiting (another chance). Coach Matt (McCants) always told me know the season is long and I'll get my shot eventually. You know, just being able to go back out there and just perform in front of the fans and be able to prove to myself I can still do it is nice.”
Bedosky started at right tackle in the first five games of the 2023 season. Much of that time he was fighting through injuries to both of his shoulders. His final 2023 performance came in a loss at Tulane on Sept. 28. He rested during the ensuing bye week and hoped to get ready for the following game against South Florida.
“After the bye week, they told me to come back and see if I can hit and do all that,” Bedosky said. “Then, like the first two reps my shoulders popped out of place. Both times. They just said I'm done.”
Bedosky missed the final games of season and also sat out during spring practice. His response impressed UAB head coach Trent Dilfer.
“He's been a guy that shows up every day,” Dilfer said. “When he couldn't practice, when he was coming off the injury, he earned so much respect because he approached every day as if he was getting ready to play a game, even though he knew he was in a rehab situation. He wasn't going to go through spring ball. So he didn't have the carrot dangling out there, something cool is about to happen that I'm working towards. He just worked. He has really good leadership qualities. He was a coach on the field when he wasn't playing, really helping our new guys out and our younger guys out.”
He returned to the field at the start of fall camp but was set back because of another issue. Bedosky had trouble maintaining his weight. He said, at times, he lost from 20 to 25 pounds during a practice session. After practice, he often would get an IV and would follow by eating and drinking to bring the weight back. After playing at just over 300 pounds last year, he dropped down to as low as 265 pounds during camp.
“A lot of it was just I'm a sweater,” Bedosky said. “We did a sweat test and it just came back that I sweat a lot of the nutrients out.”
Dilfer said he sat down with Bedosky to formulate a practice plan that would help him stay healthy and maintain his weight, as well as get him ready to play. During the season, he’s been using Tuesday as a mental rep day before returning to full work on Wednesday. All along we waited for the opportunity that cme this past Saturday when starting right tackle DJ Jones limped off the field and didn’t return.
“It's kind of like surreal,” Bedosky said. “Most of the time, you're just sitting there and standing there cheering for your teammates. Next thing, you know, you're in there. It's kind of like, okay, let me like calm down all the emotions, they are running high, let me just breathe a little bit and be able to just perform without having mental errors. I mean, you know, with age comes wisdom, so you know, being able to experience it when you're young and then just like stacking it on to the later years is really helpful.”
McCants said he knew what he would get from the veteran tackle.
“You always say you're glad that you have a person like that in your room,” McCants said. “Number one, you can count on him. Number two, he's dependable. Number three, he's trustworthy. So when you have all those characteristics, it turns and translates to the field. It's tough, but the thing that you have to put yourself in, in the mindset of anything can happen throughout the course of a game. And that's why I always tell these guys, you gotta prepare like you always one step away. We do a great job of doing that in our room because everybody knows that, hey, my time can be next week, next month, it could be tomorrow. If you don't approach every day with that type of mindset, it could be something that gets on you fast.”
Dilfer said earlier this week that Jones’ status for this week’s game against Tulane is questionable. If he can’t play, then Bedosky could find his way into the starting lineup.
“It makes you sleep good at night,” McCants said of having Bedosky as an starting option. “The fact that you have a guy like that, who has been battle -tested. He's been through the fire. He's played a lot of snaps. He's seen a lot of ball, he’s seen a lot of different moving pictures. For him, it's like riding a bicycle to be able to come in and say, hey, I've done this before my body's used to this. And so it's not a shock.”