Himmelsbach | Mauldin reflects on family, future

• BELK BOWL
• Georgia vs. Louisville
• 6%3A30 p.m. Tuesday%2C Charlotte%2C N.C.
• TV%3A ESPN Radio%3A WHBE-680 and WHAS-840

Lorenzo Mauldin will never forget his first practice in a Louisville Cardinals uniform. He'll never forget it, because for a fleeting moment, he thought the beginning was actually the end.

Mauldin went in to make a tackle, and instead of using his body, he attempted a more violent take-down and soared forward head-first. The freshman defensive end crumpled to the ground.

"I couldn't move, so they put me on a stretcher and took me to the hospital," Mauldin said. "To say I was freaked out would be an understatement. I was crying. I was scared. I hadn't even played my first game yet and I'm paralyzed? I'm thinking, 'I can't move, this is bad.' But Coach Strong was in my ear saying, 'You're OK. You're OK.'"

It turned out that Mauldin was just having a muscle spasm that had reverberated down his back. Yes, it was terrifying. No, it was not dangerous. But it was an important moment for him, because it was the moment he realized he was not alone. It was the moment he realized his new family, his Cardinal family, was there for him.

Mauldin's backstory has been well-documented. He did not have a relationship with his parents and he spent time at 16 different foster homes and two group homes. So, understandably, trust was an issue after he arrived at U of L.

"And then I saw that these people really genuinely cared about me, and I just took that in automatically," Mauldin said. "I just embraced all of it and started to trust people more."

To see Mauldin today, it's hard to believe he ever had trust issues or was unsure of how he would fit into this program. He is confident, he is courteous and he is dominant. This season he has been the face of this football team and the backbone of its excellent defense.

And as he sat in a chair at the team's practice facility last week, Mauldin exhaled as he considered how far he has come in four years. He shook his head as he considered how quickly the time has passed. He smiled as he considered the future.

Last week, Mauldin became the first member of his family to earn a college degree. Now, he hopes, his younger siblings will realize what is possible for themselves.

After the Cardinals face Georgia in the Belk Bowl on Tuesday, Mauldin will turn his focus toward the future, toward the NFL. Last season he watched his roommate, Marcus Smith, go through the pre-draft grind. Smith would come back to Louisville after going through a whirlwind of training, traveling and finding people to trust, and he would be exhausted.

Mauldin started mentally preparing himself for the process then. He also watched the draft and saw Smith get selected in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles. He saw that the work was worth it.

"I remember watching on TV like, 'OK, when are they gonna pick Marcus?'" Mauldin said. "And I'm thinking to myself that I'm gonna be in that predicament next year. I'm gonna be in someone's living room or sitting in Chicago in the green room with a tux on or whatever, hoping they call me and waiting for a phone call. The thought of it is overwhelming. It just feels good to know I have a chance."

It is a chance he has worked for, and a chance that he deserves.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at 502-582-4372 by email ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach

BELK BOWL

GEORGIA VS. LOUISVILLE

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Charlotte, N.C.

TV: ESPN Radio: WHBE-680 and WHAS-840