Jaylen Gilbert realized his goal of starting at running back for Athens High School as a freshman during the 2017 season, but he saw that goal come to a sudden end in the season’s third game when he broke his ankle, putting him out for the remainder of the year.

Instead of hanging his head, however, Gilbert is pushing himself to come back stronger and better for his sophomore season.

Gilbert is working out three days a week with personal trainer Rod Byrd, owner of Super Elite Performance in Athens, in an effort to come back to the team in 2018 as an even better player than the one who started as a freshman in 2017.

“A lot of people go through injuries,” Gilbert said. “I feel like I needed that because at the time, I was going through another injury. I feel like God had a reason for that purpose to sit me down for a while.”

Gilbert said he took comfort from former University of Alabama and current Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake, who missed most of his junior season with a broken leg, only to come back to have a strong senior season, including a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Alabama’s 45-40 win over Clemson in the college football national championship game.

“Kenyan Drake went through a leg injury, and he came back to make one of the biggest plays in college football, so I have kept that in the back of my head,” Gilbert said. “’Don’t rush it. I’m just a freshman. I’ve got many more years of football ahead of me.’”

Byrd has trained numerous area athletes who have gone on to play in college, including former James Clemens and current Alabama defensive back Kyriq McDonald and Austin High running back Asa Martin, who is committed to play at Auburn. He has been working with Gilbert for more than a year and said the young player has been very impressive in his training.

“When I first started working with him, he was like a young puppy,” Byrd said. “When they’re at a certain age in training, you know different types of bodies in different types of movements. You understand by being around the athlete, what their abilities and talents are and how much more they can accomplish by work ethic, technique and focus. I knew what was going on with him, so I would just give him a little bit here and there, and once he grew with his vocabulary and understanding body movements and agility, we just increased it as we went.”

Gilbert said it was tough sitting out the final eight games of the Athens season and watching his teammates clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2013. But he believes the team will be even stronger next season, and he is looking forward to being on the field with his teammates.

“I felt really bad (after the injury), but seeing my teammates out there fighting was great,” Gilbert said. “All I could do was get back healthy and recover and go try to do it again next year.”

Not only has Gilbert recovered from his injury, his three-days-a-week workouts have increased his strength and agility. He said he is ready to show what he can do in the 2018 season.

“I put in the extra work to be as great as I can be,” Gilbert said. “The workouts are intense but totally worth it. School workouts are good, but you’ve got to do a little extra and be more dedicated to try to do something great.”

Byrd said after training Gilbert for more than a year, he feels the young player can do something great on the field.

“Athletes that work like that, you see them at the top of their class,” Byrd said. “You will see them excelling at the next level.”