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Penn State senior linebacker Mike Mauti's final year ended with yet another knee injury. This one couldn't have hit at a worse time. The team captain was on his way to having an All-American type season before injury struck. Mauti had already amassed 95 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 2 passes defended in 10 games. He was already recognized by coaches, media and teammates as one of the best linebackers in the country, and he was poised to enter the post season with a high grade from NFL scouts.
Mauti, a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, was carted off the field in a November 17th game against Indiana after a low block in the first quarter. Mauti missed nine games in the 2011 season with a torn ACL in that same knee.
Now, all Mauti could do was rehab, pray and send hand written notes to NFL general managers, hoping to get a shot at being drafted this April.
Since his surgery in November, Mauti has been working diligently on his rehab, and has insisted that he will be ready for training camp this summer.
It has been less than five months since his surgery, but you can see in this video that Mike looks determined to prove his doubters wrong.