University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Weston Named Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Nominee
10/29/2019 5:35:00 PM | Football
ROCHESTER, Minn. – The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) today named UNI wide receiver Isaiah Weston as one of 30 nominees for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year.
The Panther wide receiver opened camp last season with a load of confidence and a lot of excitement about the 2018 season. Just four days into camp, he tore his ACL in a non-contact injury.
"I was definitely excited. Reece was gone and I had the opportunity to step up into the No. 1 role so it was frustrating to see that go the out the window," Weston said. "I immediately went to a pretty dark place. I thought there was no way that I would get back to form. There was no way I would ever be as good as I once was."
Ha battled back, taking a full year off the field, including being held back from spring practices by head coach Mark Farley. He worked on what he could sitting on the sidelines during practice, catching balls on the "Jugs" machine. He bided his time until he could get back on the field. The moment finally came in early August when he suited up for fall camp.
Many people that recover from an ACL injury find it difficult to trust the knee right away. Timid play or favoring the other leg can lead to other injuries, but Weston felt confident in his knee right away.
"I felt comfortable coming into fall camp," he said. "I ran into a few setbacks here and there with it, but I felt confident on my knee. I just wanted to be able to come back and help my team."
It was clear early in fall camp that Weston didn't just return to form, he might actually be better. When he got his chance to return to the field, he proved everyone right. He had two catches for 48 yards against Iowa State, but the following week had the first-career 100-yard game of his career the next week against Southern Utah and scored a touchdown. The performance was the first of five 100-yard receiving games and the first of seven consecutive games with a touchdown, tied for a school record.
"Each game, I feel more and more confident," Weston said. "I look at it as a clean slate every game. I am trying not to put too much pressure on myself to hit certain stats. I've just tried to come out and play football the way I know I can and since I've done that, I've been able to take it to another level."
The redshirt sophomore has proved to be a deep threat. He currently leads the FCS in yards per reception at 26.8. He is also in the top-6 for receiving yards with 856 and receiving TDs at 10. He leads the MVFC in both categories.
Ten times during the 2019 college football season, three inspiring student-athletes from all levels of college football, who have overcome injury, illness or other challenges, will be recognized as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Nominees by a panel of writers, editors and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and Touchdown Illustrated.
At the end of the season, three of the nominees will be chosen as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award winners and will be recognized at a special ceremony during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Additionally, $30,000 will be donated in the names of the nine student-athletes selected as finalists to their school's general scholarship fund, with $15,000 being awarded in the names of the three winners and $15,000 on behalf of the six named honorable mention.
"We understand how challenging it can be for student-athletes to return from injury or illness," says Dr. Michael Stuart, co-director for Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. "We are honored to be part of this award that recognizes qualities like motivation, determination and perseverance."
Shaun Crawford of Notre Dame and Hunter Spriggs of Chapman University joined Weston as this week's nominees.
Previous nominees are: Ashton Antwine (Northeastern State), Kaleb Barker (Troy), Shaq Bond (Utah State), Jamieson Craske (Stetson), Aaron Crawford (UNC), Frazier Daniel (Mount Union), Jonathan Haden (UAB), Jaquan Hemphill (Hardin-Simmons), Justin Herron (Wake Forest), Caleb Huntley (Ball State), Jake Luton (Oregon State), Deiontae Nicholas (Wayne State), Josh Paschal (Kentucky), Isaiah Pola-Mao (USC), CJ Sanders (SMU), La'Andre Thomas (Memphis), Amadeo West (Army), Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern), Octavion Wilson (Salisbury), Antoine Winfield Jr. (Minnesota) and D.J. Wonnum (South Carolina).
The Panther wide receiver opened camp last season with a load of confidence and a lot of excitement about the 2018 season. Just four days into camp, he tore his ACL in a non-contact injury.
"I was definitely excited. Reece was gone and I had the opportunity to step up into the No. 1 role so it was frustrating to see that go the out the window," Weston said. "I immediately went to a pretty dark place. I thought there was no way that I would get back to form. There was no way I would ever be as good as I once was."
Ha battled back, taking a full year off the field, including being held back from spring practices by head coach Mark Farley. He worked on what he could sitting on the sidelines during practice, catching balls on the "Jugs" machine. He bided his time until he could get back on the field. The moment finally came in early August when he suited up for fall camp.
Many people that recover from an ACL injury find it difficult to trust the knee right away. Timid play or favoring the other leg can lead to other injuries, but Weston felt confident in his knee right away.
"I felt comfortable coming into fall camp," he said. "I ran into a few setbacks here and there with it, but I felt confident on my knee. I just wanted to be able to come back and help my team."
It was clear early in fall camp that Weston didn't just return to form, he might actually be better. When he got his chance to return to the field, he proved everyone right. He had two catches for 48 yards against Iowa State, but the following week had the first-career 100-yard game of his career the next week against Southern Utah and scored a touchdown. The performance was the first of five 100-yard receiving games and the first of seven consecutive games with a touchdown, tied for a school record.
"Each game, I feel more and more confident," Weston said. "I look at it as a clean slate every game. I am trying not to put too much pressure on myself to hit certain stats. I've just tried to come out and play football the way I know I can and since I've done that, I've been able to take it to another level."
The redshirt sophomore has proved to be a deep threat. He currently leads the FCS in yards per reception at 26.8. He is also in the top-6 for receiving yards with 856 and receiving TDs at 10. He leads the MVFC in both categories.
Ten times during the 2019 college football season, three inspiring student-athletes from all levels of college football, who have overcome injury, illness or other challenges, will be recognized as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Nominees by a panel of writers, editors and sports information directors from CoSIDA, AP and Touchdown Illustrated.
At the end of the season, three of the nominees will be chosen as Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award winners and will be recognized at a special ceremony during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Additionally, $30,000 will be donated in the names of the nine student-athletes selected as finalists to their school's general scholarship fund, with $15,000 being awarded in the names of the three winners and $15,000 on behalf of the six named honorable mention.
"We understand how challenging it can be for student-athletes to return from injury or illness," says Dr. Michael Stuart, co-director for Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. "We are honored to be part of this award that recognizes qualities like motivation, determination and perseverance."
Shaun Crawford of Notre Dame and Hunter Spriggs of Chapman University joined Weston as this week's nominees.
Previous nominees are: Ashton Antwine (Northeastern State), Kaleb Barker (Troy), Shaq Bond (Utah State), Jamieson Craske (Stetson), Aaron Crawford (UNC), Frazier Daniel (Mount Union), Jonathan Haden (UAB), Jaquan Hemphill (Hardin-Simmons), Justin Herron (Wake Forest), Caleb Huntley (Ball State), Jake Luton (Oregon State), Deiontae Nicholas (Wayne State), Josh Paschal (Kentucky), Isaiah Pola-Mao (USC), CJ Sanders (SMU), La'Andre Thomas (Memphis), Amadeo West (Army), Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern), Octavion Wilson (Salisbury), Antoine Winfield Jr. (Minnesota) and D.J. Wonnum (South Carolina).
Players Mentioned
WR
/ FootballUNI Panther Football: The Best Pod of your Day (Episode 13)
Wednesday, November 12
Todd Stepsis Press Conference - Nov. 10, 2025.
Tuesday, November 11
UNI Football Postgame Interview vs. Murray State - Nov. 8, 2025
Saturday, November 08
PST: Todd Stepsis - Nov. 7, 2025 (Part 1 of 3)
Friday, November 07