Leo Blackburn and Sylvain Yondjouen Named to 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Watch List

Blackburn and Yondjouen are both coming back from injuries

Oct 1, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjouen (32) sacks Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech junior wide receiver Leo Blackburn and senior defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjouen are among 90 student-athletes on the official preseason watch list for the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year award.

Blackburn missed the entire 2023 season after sustaining his third major injury in three years during spring practice. Due to two season-ending knee injuries (2021 and 2023) and a wrist injury that cost him the first five games of the 2022 campaign, Blackburn has played in just seven games in his collegiate career. However, when healthy, the 6-5, 220-pounder has flashed the potential to be one of the nation’s top receivers, including catching three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate debut versus Duke in 2022 and two receptions for 32 yards against No. 1 Georgia in the ’22 finale.

Yondjouen sustained a season-ending knee injury early in Georgia Tech’s season opener versus Louisville on Sept. 1 of last season. A top-level pro football prospect, he was coming off his most productive collegiate season in 2022, when he amassed 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss while backing up eventual second-round NFL Draft pick Keion White. For his career, Yondjouen has totaled 52 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Yondjouen met with the media after practice yesterday and talked about coming back from last year's injury:

"I think, I personally, I mean, I did the work. I know what the injury was. It's my second time. Same knee. I knew how the rehab process was. So when I found out I had to get surgery again, I mean, I knew what I was going to do, put my everything I could in the rehab. And, yeah, I finished in, like, July, start of August. Actually, no, end of July. So we were very confident with the trainers on how I was moving during my rehab. And then camp started, and I was out there since practice one. I haven't had any trouble since. So, I mean, I think I'm confident on what I can do. And I've showed my teammates, my coaches that I can be out there, so I'm pretty confident. Yeah, I mean, it was, I did some running during my rehab, so, like, I was still working out with them, running with them, even though when they had to do, like, cutting for the field or, like, cutting left and right, maybe I wasn't doing that, but the conditioning part I've been doing with the team since they've started conditioning, so I think, I mean, it's been fine."

Blackburn also spoke with the media earlier this week and discussed how he is feeling coming back from another injury:

"I'm very humble. I'm just taking it day by day, never too high, never too low. When the game come, make my play. When my number's called, when the ball comes to me, hey, just, I've been here before. I've been making plays. There's nothing new to me. So it's my time now."

Blackburn and Yondjouen are the sixth and seventh Yellow Jackets to land on watch lists for national awards this preseason. They are joined by QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes, who are both on the Maxwell Award watch list (national player of the year), Haynes on the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Doak Walker Award (running back) and Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) watch lists, OL Weston Franklin on the Outland Trophy watch list (interior lineman), PK Aidan Birr on the Lou Groza Award watch list (place kicker) and DB Clayton Powell-Lee as an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee and on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list (community service).

Since 2018, the Comeback Player of the Year has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness or other circumstances. Three student-athletes will be honored as Comeback Player of the Year award winners at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. on Dec. 31.