Russ Yeast made stronger from rehab process

Louisville safety suffered a season-ending injury against Syracuse last fall

The road to recovery was long and tough, but Russ Yeast thinks the journey has made him stronger.

The safety for Louisville football had 61 tackles last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Syracuse. Yeast missed Louisville’s final two games against Kentucky and Mississippi State as he began the rehab process to prepare for his senior year.

Yeast, who said he remembers what happened on the play that caused the injury, had surgery after Louisville’s victory over Syracuse Nov. 23.

Yeast remained on campus receiving treatment despite the University closing its campus this spring due to COVID-19. When student-athletes began returning to Louisville for voluntary workouts, Yeast was rejoined by his teammates.

“It feels good to be back with my teammates working out and doing everything with them,” Yeast said. “The recovery process was long and it was tough, I have a lot of people to thank around the facility, especially the head trainer Matt Summers, pushing me every day to get better.”

Unable to participate in spring practices, which were cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yeast became a leader from the sideline.

He said the injury allowed him to become more detail oriented as he vocally led the secondary.

“That’s one thing I can take out of this injury, it has increased my mental part of the game,” Yeast said. “Being able to lead during the spring while the young guys were out there getting more reps than they usually would.”

Yeast isn’t 100% cleared yet, but the safety said he is confident he will be ready for the season. Yeast said he hasn’t lost a step since the injury.