Welcome Back Todd Gurley, College Football Missed You

“We’re glad he’s back, and we’re looking forward to seeing him play.”

That’s what Georgia head coach Mark Richt had to say yesterday about the return of Todd Gurley, per Seth Emerson of The Telegraph.

Richt is known as an unusually cool character, but that might have been one of the all-time great understatements in sports.  

And yet, it’s hard to blame Richt for not showing more enthusiasm or adulate him for staying calm as the most heralded Bulldog in 30 years returns to the field, because Gurley’s play itself and all that it embodies is hard to process with curt one-liners. Gurley is not a media-ready soundbite. 

Merely defining Todd Gurley as an entity requires far more effort than most care to give. Were he any less spectacular, “junior running back” would be an appropriate qualifier. But given his accomplishments and what remains unfinished, terms like “star,” “future NFL first round pick” and “should-be Heisman candidate” fail to do Gurley justice.

His playing style itself presents such myriad seesaws that descriptions convolute the picture of his greatness. 

Dave Tulis/Associated Press

He’s patient but explosive. He sees everything but has tunnel vision focused on the end zone. He’s big yet agile. He’s strong but surprisingly buoyant when choosing to bounce off a defender rather than run through him. He’s quick and fast, but he’ll drag multiple defenders when necessary.  

He’s the most talented runner in the country but also one of the most selfless blockers. He’s undeniably the most explosive offensive threat on the SEC’s highest scoring offense, but he also adds value as a motivator in the defensive huddle.

But while Richt’s abbreviated summation of the end of six weeks’ worth of frustration, emotion and longing seems to come up short, his words still have an air of all-encompassing.

Richt is right; we are glad he’s back. Not just the Georgia Bulldogs football team.

To be sure, Richt’s squad stands to benefit the most from Gurley when he dresses out between the hedges in Sanford Stadium, but the Dawgs aren’t alone in their appreciation. 

The university, whose students held midnight vigils following Gurley’s suspension as if he had passed away, will undoubtedly reap the rewards of Gurley’s triumphant run back onto the field. After all, no student-athlete has been so loved since the days of Herschel Walker, and no student-athlete has been so wronged (from the perspective of Georgia fans) since…well, ever.

Undoubtedly, the student section and everyone in Sanford Stadium will embrace the righteously defiant exuberance that Gurley will possess. In that light, regardless of the game’s outcome, no Bulldog fan will go away empty-handed. Everyone there will have witnessed his return, and, in some ways, that may be prize enough for a team safely removed from College Football Playoff contention.

Even the fans at home will marvel at the wrath and grace with which No. 3 plays the game of football. And if things go according to plan, both those paradoxical elements may be magnified by his long layover—the freshness of his legs (which have ailed him in the past) and the frustration experienced over the preceding month, which surely surpassed that of fans.

And this gratitude won’t merely reflect the sentiments of the Georgia faithful. To the contrary, Gurley will be the hero of Saturday night—nationwide—even before kickoff. After all, he is no longer simply a localized star or even the greatest running back in college football. 

Now, he’s perceived by many as the innocent figurehead of what’s wrong with a corrupt institution.

To be fair, everyone recognizes that Gurley broke a rule when he signed a series of autographs for money. Much less obvious, however, is why that antiquated rule remains in place.

So quite ironically, Gurley has garnered more national notoriety while not playing football this fall.  And that’s quite an accomplishment for a guy who racked up 1,023 total yards (rushing, receiving, passing, returning) in just five games to open the season. 

Now, fans want to see him play. Not just because he’s played at such high levels before or because they expect him to return to such thresholds immediately, or even because he only has a few collegiate games left, but because he gives them someone to root for and a story to embrace.  

People want to see the unfairly disgraced autograph-signer succeed. And that’s not just a Georgia thing.

Maybe Mark Richt was spot-on all along.  We, as college football fans, are glad Todd Gurley is back.  And we sure are looking forward to seeing him play Saturday.  

Though Auburn and its fans may feel differently.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.