Rodney Anderson was back on a football field in Norman Friday evening. The team captain for the Sooners wasn’t getting ready for his final home game as a football player. He was there speaking to the media inside the Everest Indoor Training Facility.

Anderson hasn’t been with the team since having surgery to repair a torn ACL. He’s currently living in Birmingham, Ala., rehabbing the knee and preparing for his next adventure: The NFL Draft.

He's training at a facility which helped Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson get back on the field after major injuries.

“It's been going great. I'm having a great time down in Birmingham with Kevin Wilk. That's where I've been doing all my rehab. He's been keeping me ahead of schedule and on the right track.”

Anderson will be recognized during Senior Day tomorrow along with his teammates that he’s missed from afar throughout this season.

And after hearing from Anderson, being away from Norman and away from a terrible history of injuries has probably been the best thing for his rehabilitation.

“I keep pretty frequent contact with everybody,” said Anderson. “I would say probably the running back room the most and the offensive line, just because those are my dogs. It’s definitely tough watching them on Saturday just through the TV. It’s just not the same, you know. I want to be out there in person. I’m just yelling at myself, really, in the living room.”

After his injuries, Anderson needed to move forward. Staying in Norman and rehabbing with the same people who got him ready to play football games on Saturdays might have been too much of a reminder of what went wrong.

“I don't really like to dwell. I like to put my head forward and start working to get back,” said Anderson, who has now missed almost three full seasons due to injuries. “I was obviously upset.”

Since arriving in Birmingham with a fresh start, Anderson is progressing quickly. He says he’s already ahead of schedule of the expected five to six months of rehab it takes to recover.

“They say it's definitely nothing super easy to come back from but I'll make a full recovery and be back as good as new. I'm confident with everything,” he said.

Anderson has had to overcome more than most. He shattered his ankle, he broke his neck. Those experiences have helped push him forward instead of dwelling on the past.

“Obviously I'm upset that I have to go through it again,” he said. “I know what to expect. I know how to keep focused. I know how to stay on track with rehab. I guess that's something that the other injuries have taught me. I'm feeling good about this.”

Anderson will certainly get tired of NFL scouts, analysts and media using the word “injury prone” when discussing his draft stock over the next five months. But there is one thing he can do to raise some eyebrows before the draft happens.

He can make it to the NFL combine.

That’s a door that Anderson feels is still open to him.

“I feel like I’ll be in a pretty good position for the combine and for pro day as well,” he said. “I’m not worried about anything like that as far as being able to participate. Right now I’m just really focused on my knee and making sure it’s the strongest that it can be so I can make a push at a career.”

Anderson won’t be closing a chapter tomorrow on Owen Field. For him, he’s already done that.

And when he steps onto Owen Field for his final gameday, don’t focus too much on Anderson’s crestfallen career.

What could have been will probably be racing through his mind.

“I'm excited for it. I'm ready to get back out there and be in that stadium again when it's full,” said Anderson. “I'm sure it'll be a little bit emotional and just not being able to be there in my pads but I'm excited to be out there regardless.”

He’s been missed this season, but he’s still going. Maybe that’s the reason to give Anderson the biggest ovation possible.

And don’t dare hold back because he didn’t stay.

Few would be able to do what Anderson’s done after the hardships he’s endured.

He’s earned that ovation as much as anyone for his fight to come back and represent the Sooners in the NFL.

Even though players, coaches and fans didn’t see it firsthand, his homecoming should be a celebration of his desire and his willingness to overcome one of the most tragic careers in OU history.