Clemson commit Galloway pushing for October return

Galloway hopes to make his return to the field on October 13th

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Wed Sep 06 12:00:55 GMT-05:00 2017

Wide Receiver. Tight end. Quarterback. Braden Galloway could do it all until a freak injury halted his senior season.

The Seneca (SC) senior and Clemson commit started his last season as a Bobcat fast, but a Jones Fracture – a small break in the fifth metatarsal – quickly stopped the three-star prospect in his tracks.

In week one, Galloway caught a touchdown pass, threw for 102 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 107 yards and was well on his way to another spectacular performance when he took a wrong step on a 30-yard gain.

“Actually, I didn't feel it until I sat down on the bench and when I stood up, that's when I felt the pain. I think it happened on a 25 or 30-yard run before I threw a touchdown pass,” Galloway told TigerNet Tuesday evening. “Right after that I was really hyped and adrenaline was flowing so I didn't feel any pain. I came and sat down and the coaches were telling to the offense to get ready and as soon as I stood up, I felt a pain on the outside of my right foot. I thought it was my cleats rubbing the outside of my foot, so I got the trainer to re-tape my foot, but that just made it worse because he did it tighter. I went to the doctor and I had broken my fifth metatarsal.”

Not only will Galloway miss four-to-six weeks, he said the most frustrating part of being injured was that he was just beginning to find his groove on the field.

“It's disappointing and frustrating, too, because I still go to all of the pre-game meals, the practices, and the games, so not being able to play is so frustrating,” Galloway said. “I started off pretty good and I was starting to get into a rhythm playing quarterback because I had been practicing a lot. I had been playing receiver and going back and forth, but I thought I was going to be a quarterback for the rest of the season. I was really getting a rhythm back there and it was frustrating to go down, especially when I'm out for four to six weeks.”

The good news, however, is that the fracture won’t totally derail Galloway’s season because if all goes as planned, he’ll be able to return for the game against Walhalla.

“I think I'll be back on October 13th. If rehab and everything goes as planned, I'll be able to come back on October 8th or 9th and play on the 13th,” he said. “When I go for the checkup and the doctor makes sure the screw is in the right place and all of that, that's the earliest I'll be back.”

For Galloway, one of the bright spots has been the constant communication and encouragement from Clemson’s staff.

“Basically, just to continue being a good teammate and that they're always there for me if I ever need anything, especially since I'm so close,” he said. “I talked to eight or nine coaches whether it was on the phone, text or DM (Twitter) and they were all very supportive. They texted me good luck before my surgery. I'll be at the game this weekend, so I'll get to talk to them there, too, which will be good.”

While Galloway will be sporting either a knee scooter or crutches, he plans on attending Clemson’s showdown with Auburn on Saturday, and he said he expects a much better game than last week’s win over Kent State.

“I think Clemson is going to win, but I think it will be a good game,” he said. “I hope it will be better than the Kent State game. I just like watching all of the players that I know on TV, so that was really exciting. I'm glad everybody got to play.”