Inside Ben Wooldridge's quick return from torn ACL for Louisiana football

Control what you can control has become Ben Wooldridge’s proverbial pursuit of fulfillment.

For much of his entire collegiate career, at both Fresno State and now at Louisiana, the quarterback has possessed more-than-necessary ability. The search, bolstered by the immense work put in, has exclusively been for the opportunity.

After losing a second preseason position battle in college, Wooldridge finally got the chance he had been looking for, being thrust into the heat of things in the middle of last season.

But the goal was fleeting, snatched away due to tearing an ACL during a practice last November ahead of UL’s matchup at Florida State.

It was a cruel turn of events, but Wooldridge had been there before — something out of his control, outside of his ability, keeping him from what he wanted. And once again, he had to rely on the internal mindset which he can always control.

“I just wanted to get back with the guys, play ball again with the guys,” Wooldridge told The Daily Advertiser during the Ragin’ Cajuns’ Media Day. “It was just having a good plan with our trainers, (Chris Litt and Katie Barrera, UL’s assistant directors of sports medicine). And just having the mindset of being with the team. I wanted to work out, I wanted to practice with the guys.”

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On the surface, the 6-3, 215-pound Pleasanton, California native is quiet and unassuming, but for years, has been vibrant in how he leads. At Fresno State, Wooldridge led off-schedule, player-only practices.

And he did so while never being the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.

“It’s been really difficult for him because it wasn’t an ability thing,” Victor James, Wooldridge’s longtime quarterback trainer back home, told The Daily Advertiser. “(Fresno State) had a good QB in Jake Haener and that was the direction they decided to go in. it’s hard when you’re every bit deserving.

“But he gets over that, then he gets in another quarterback battle (at Louisiana last season) and he loses that. It was discouraging in a lot of regards because he knows who he is. And when he gets the opportunity and is playing really good football, then another misstep happens. At this point, he can handle difficulty. The adversity made him realize that world doesn’t stop turning, it keeps spinning and you have to keep moving forward.”

By now, it’s about ownership for Wooldridge. Something happens out of his control? Focus on the controlled response and fully commit.

Louisiana football's most professional football player

A big part of that ownership of any situation for UL’s senior quarterback takes form in the details.

From nutrition to Circadian rhythm, if Wooldridge can dictate it, he uses it to his advantage.

“He’s the closest thing that we have to a professional football player on our roster,” Cajuns offensive coordinator Tim Leger said. “The way he eats, the way he sleeps, the way he watches film, everything that he does is literally what an NFL quarterback would do. His day is scripted to the minute. Because he works that way, people naturally gravitate toward him, his work ethic and leadership.

“I’ve never seen this turnaround. I think it goes to what I said: the guy eats the cleanest food you can put in your body. He’s always working on hydration and nutrition. He knows when he needs to go to sleep. He’s on a different level when you’re talking about how he thinks about preparation physically and mentally.”

Wooldridge’s approach — i.e. control — of his rehab and recovery process from the ACL injury led to him being fully cleared and ready to participate in preseason practice for Louisiana from the start in just nine months.

'He's ready to have the best year he's ever had'

James was never going to tell UL football coach Michael Desormeaux. But when Wooldridge came home a week before practice, the trainer put a full set of pads on and tackled the QB a couple of times.

“What I was able to do with him was movement reactives not anything preconceived. It’s a little more chaotic reaction to movement then when you know where you’re going next,” James said. “It’s a good sign when he’s not thinking about his knee.”

Just before his visit back home, Wooldridge received word that he was cleared. And when Desormeaux found out, he wasted no time in naming him the starting quarterback.

Last year, when he was able to play, Wooldridge passed for more than 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns, while leading the Cajuns to a couple of big wins that kept their bowl eligibility alive. He looked and played the best and earned the right to be the guy.

“It’s awesome. It gets a load of confidence in you. But it’s also something that I have to live up to for this team and coach Des,” Wooldridge said. “I’ve got to do my job day-in, day-out. I think it comes with the position of holding yourself to a higher standard.

“Going through this process of rehab the last few months has taught me that if you do the right things, good things are going to happen. This team has developed a mindset of doing your best every day so that we can get to our standard of playing the ball we want to play.”

James and Wooldridge have worked together for 10 years, since Wooldridge was a freshman in high school. As Wooldridge enters his final season in college, he looks the best he’s looked to James.

Because of how he’s controlled much of his response to all the adversity he’s faced, the opportunity to be the starter for his last year was earned. And what comes with that is peace, what Wooldridge has really been searching for the last few seasons.

“He looks great. He’s in a place where he’s at practice. There’s gratitude coupled with that and him being the guy,” James said. “He’s not worried about being the starter and him not quite doing enough.

“With Ben, it’s never been a question of preparation, the dude is going to study his butt off and know the gameplan week to week. He’s got a live arm, his feet are back under him and he’s less apprehensive. He’s ready to go have the best year he’s ever had.”

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: How Louisiana football QB Ben Wooldridge recovered from torn ACL so fast