GoHeels Exclusive: Full Of Optimism

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Two days into preseason camp, and exactly four weeks before North Carolina embarked on its trajectory-changing 2019 campaign against South Carolina, Patrice Rene stood inside UNC's indoor practice facility, happy, healthy and full of optimism.

Speaking with reporters that August afternoon, the veteran corner expressed as much excitement as anyone about the Tar Heels' prospects heading into the season. He talked about the team's new mindset under Mack Brown, the state of the secondary and the bittersweet emotions of going through his final camp. He also addressed his goals, both for himself and his team.

"Be first-team All-ACC at my position, win all the games that we have and just have success," he said. "As long as the team is winning, I'm winning and doing good, it'll be a good year."

That it was for Carolina. But for Rene, it presented more challenges than any in his adversity-filled career.

Thrown into the fire in the 2016 opener against Georgia, Rene was flagged twice for pass interference on a game-changing second-half touchdown drive, causing the then-true freshman's confidence to waver. Back-to-back losing seasons and three positional coaching changes in as many years followed. None of that, however, compared to the trials of the last eight-plus months.

Five weeks removed from that second training camp practice, Rene collided with a teammate in the end zone against Miami on Sept. 7. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound senior managed to walk off the field, albeit with a limp. Soon after, though, he learned he'd torn his right ACL. He underwent surgery a few weeks later, bringing his season to an end before it really even started.

Because he hadn't redshirted, Rene qualified for one last year of eligibility. Whether or not he'd use it was unknown. But he wasted little time in making a decision, choosing to return this fall to Chapel Hill before jumping into his rehab.

Ever since then, Rene has drawn from his previous bouts with adversity as he's attempted to overcome another.

"Throughout life, you're going to encounter some obstacles, some bumps in the road, and that's what makes you stronger. …" said Rene in a videoconference last Wednesday. "I know adversity is coming; I'm not surprised when it comes, I'm not shocked. It's just a matter of how you bounce back.

"Throughout my college career, everything I've gone through, it's always made me stronger to be able to attack the next obstacle. That's been my mindset throughout this process."

Despite how grueling – and unusual – it's been.

It didn't take long, Rene said, to establish a routine, thanks to the help of the athletic training and strength and conditioning staffs. Each morning, he woke up and went to class before making his first trip to the training room. Team meetings typically followed, then it was back to the training room for a couple more hours.

All told, Rene estimates he was spending 4-5 hours daily rehabbing, his eyes set on returning to full football participation by the end of June. Then came the coronavirus pandemic.

Like thousands of other student-athletes across the country, Rene, from Ottawa, Canada, returned home when the virus brought the sports world, and the nation itself, to a standstill in mid-March. There he planned to resume his physical therapy. But upon his arrival, the clinic where he'd hoped to continue rehabbing closed. Many more followed as large-scale coronavirus restrictions went into place, leaving Rene unsure of how to proceed.

"Once things back home in Canada started unfolding and I realized things were going to be closed for a longer period of time than expected," Rene said, "and I wanted to be able to get actual physical attention by a doctor or my physical therapist from home, that's when I realized that I should probably explore the idea of trying to come back to campus and get back to where I have more access to more resources."

That proved easier said than done in these uncertain times.

On March 21, four days after the ACC canceled all athletic-related activities through the end of the academic year, the U.S. and Canada agreed to close their shared border to non-essential travel, an order that's since been extended until June 21. Even now, the definition of "essential" remains fairly loose. Rene, however, made a strong case that his return to Chapel Hill was just that in an appeal to the U.S. embassy in Canada.

In his appeal, Rene said he explained how he was a UNC football player recovering from knee surgery and in need of adequate resources to continue his rehab. Dr. Mario Ciocca, Carolina's Director of Sports Medicine, supported that claim in a letter to the embassy.

"Thankfully enough, the embassy was very understanding," Rene said. "I kind of threw in there I have a house where I'm paying rent, so it would be nice if I would be able to live where I'm paying rent at and not just have an empty home where I'm just wasting my money. They thought that was funny as well and that helped with that. Coach Brown was fully supportive with anything I needed and we got together and made that happen."

Rene said he returned to Chapel Hill in late April without having fallen behind in his rehab. Since then, he's had access to the Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center, the primary athletic training facility for all students and most UNC student-athletes. He's also been able to work out at home using equipment provided by head strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess.

On Wednesday, Rene said he was about 90 percent back to normal.

"I'm on the back end of the rehab process," he said. "I'm expecting to be fully cleared within the next month, right around the time we get back. That was the timetable before the whole COVID thing happened: to be fully cleared for our summer workouts. I actually just saw the doctor today for a matter of fact. I had my check-in with them and everything was good."

From the moment he suffered his injury until now, Rene said he's leaned heavily on his faith. That's especially been the case the last few weeks, ever since his paternal uncle-in-law passed away due to coronavirus-related complications in late March.

Rene said his uncle, who lived near New York City, had been ill for some time when he revealed his worsening symptoms to his family. Eventually, he was admitted to a hospital, where he received his diagnosis. And there he stayed until he passed.

As difficult as that was to bear, Rene said being unable to attend the funeral because of travel restrictions made it that much harder.

"For us as a family, it was really hard because we are a big family and we're very close," he said. "My family means the world to me, and we have a really good relationship. The fact that we weren't able to physically be there for my aunt, I wasn't able to physically be there for my cousins, that was what was really hard for us. … It just opens your eyes and makes you realize how important and precious time is with the family and not to always take things for granted."

Rene certainly isn't, not on the field or off it, given everything he's gone through since last August. But as much as things have changed, some have stayed the same, including his goals.

"I definitely want to be first-team All-ACC at my position and establish myself as a dominant presence in the league," he said. "And as a team, (we want) to win as many games as possible."

The return of Rene – happy, (almost) healthy and full of optimism – should only help.

Players Mentioned

Patrice Rene

Related Videos