The junior quarterback was full-go during the Hoosiers’ first spring practice, five and a half months after separating his left, nonthrowing shoulder against Iowa last season.
“I kind of got that feeling back of, ‘Alright. We’re back,’” Sudfeld said. “It felt really good to kind of get those first few reps out of the way. It just feels good to be back out here.”
Sudfeld’s journey back to the playing field at John Mellencamp Pavilion wasn’t easy, he said.
First there was the physical pain of the injury, then the emotional pain of being forced to watch his teammates play without him.
Those stings were ?expected.
But then there was the discomfort of needing to sleep sitting up. The boredom from not being physically active. Missing out on pregame warmups and ?high-fives.
And, perhaps the most strange, needing to use a speak-to-type program in order to complete his assignments for class.
“That was really interesting,” Sudfeld said. “Incredible technology, but when I got my left hand back, I gave it back, so I’ve been typing normally since. But that helped a lot.”
Sudfeld can joke about his immobilized state now because he’s healed ahead of IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s schedule.
In the time IU’s Thursday practice was open to media, there were few signs was rusty.
He said that’s partially because he started throwing just two months after suffering his Oct. 11 injury.
On two consecutive plays, Sudfeld threw completions of 30 and 40 yards to opposite sidelines. They were the types of passes IU struggled to complete in his absence.
“Nate’s looking really great out there,” Harris said. “I just hope we can finish out the spring and the season strong with everybody ?injury free.”
Harris added he’s spent extra time with Sudfeld during the offseason watching film to assure they’ll be on the same page come game days.
Sudfeld admitted it’s still a work in progress, but both agreed the extra work has helped.
For Sudfeld, the added commitment to working in the film room was the least he could do when he was sidelined physically.
He couldn’t move his left arm much at all, but he was able to work with his right arm and his legs, which he said are as strong as they’ve ever been.
Wilson said he was pleased with Sudfeld’s progress, but added that there’s still work to do. He’s got thousands of reps left in him before IU even thinks about its opening game against Southern Illinois in ?September.
“He’s healthy, but he’s had limitations in lifting,” Wilson said. “So we’ve got to be very diligent in our April, May, June to get him physically ready for a great year.”
A “great year” is exactly what Sudfeld said he expects.
He’s never managed be a full-time quarterback for an entire season, but various NFL mock drafts are starting to put him in the top 10 for the class of 2016. At 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, Sudfeld has the physical makeup of a pro, but he said he’s not worried about that as much.
Healthy again, Sudfeld is more concerned with getting his Hoosier team back into a bowl game for the first time since 2007.
“After a few weeks, (Wilson) let me know, ‘Listen, you’re still the leader, you’re still the quarterback. You need to be more engaged in meetings,” Sudfeld said.
“I’m just trying to step up as a leader, be a guy that we’ll need to take it to the next level. I’m just excited to have another opportunity on ?the field.”
