U of L's Reve embraces injury, returns to field

Forgive Jermaine Reve if it seems like he can't stop smiling. The University of Louisville defensive back has every reason for a permanent grin these days.

Six months after knee surgery sidelined him, the redshirt junior is back on the field, something few imagined back in April when U of L coach Bobby Petrino said Reve would be out "indefinitely."

"I'm a positive person," Reve said Wednesday, four days after his first appearance of the season. "It never was, 'I hope I could be back.' When I was first told I tore my ACL, I embraced it."

That was Reve's go-to phrase in a conversation after U of L practice at the Trager Center: Embrace it.

The Miami native admitted he was disappointed by the news because he had high expectations for this season, but after the initial shock, that smile came back.

He embraced it.

Reve showed up for treatment every day. He kept working out his upper body as his knee healed. He read and re-read and re-read his playbook. He sat in on every team meeting and film session.

He would ask his trainer, Daryl Nelson, each day for a new challenge.

No one batted an eye when Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham called Reve "a pretty relentless guy."

"All through the rehab, Kyle kept telling me, 'Jermaine's working so hard — we might have him this year,'" Petrino said, referring to head trainer Kyle Johnston.

"We checked in with him a couple weeks later, and he said he's progressed even ahead of where he was. His attitude and his work ethic is the reason he's where he is. He's ahead of where we thought he would be."

None of his teammates or coaches were surprised by Reve's immediate impact at Clemson. His return on Saturday gave Louisville flexibility in the secondary, Grantham said.

Terell Floyd, who was one of Louisville's starting safeties through seven games, moved back to cornerback, where he started 26 games in his first three seasons.

Reve joined Gerod Holliman and James Sample at safety, sliding down to the nickel cornerback position, where he spent most of his time last season, when U of L used five defensive backs.

He recorded five tackles – two for a loss of yardage – and one pass breakup. He even had a sack.

"That's Jermaine Reve," junior cornerback Charles Gaines said. "I expected him to come back. He's like a big brother to the defense."

You probably couldn't see Reve's smile through his facemask on Saturday. It was omnipresent on Wednesday as he reviewed his first game back.

He talked about rehab and the long road back, following the lead of teammates like Keith Brown and Corvin Lamb, who were both coming back from their own ACL injuries.

Every time he saw Reve, Gaines said he would bring up the calendar.

"I just try to mess with them," Gaines said. "Like, 'How many days you got?' Just give him something positive every day."

The calendar days hit zero last week and Reve was back out there, playing the role his teammates and coaches hoped he'd play this season.

Who could blame him for that grin?

"It's great to be back out there with my brothers," Reve said. "It's just a blessing."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).​