Just days after surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon returned to his hometown of Jasper, Texas, for a little rest and rehabilitation.
As he rehabbed in the high school weight room that produced the Mizzou first-team All-Big 12 linebacker, the town of just under 8,000 people wasn't quite as peaceful as Weatherspoon remembered.
"It's a little different from the way it used to be because anywhere I go people are coming around and asking me questions about Mizzou and the NFL,"
Weatherspoon said. "I just try to block it out. You've always got people that want to be around you, but there were some friends that I didn't have in high school that are trying to hang around me now."
Many have speculated whether Weatherspoon will leave Missouri after his junior season and enter the NFL draft. It's a question he hasn't fielded by many media but one that could have serious implications for Missouri's future.
The Tigers will graduate 15 starters after this season, including All-Americans William Moore and Chase Daniel, and sophomore All-American Jeremy Maclin has the potential to make the jump, too.
Losing Weatherspoon on top of all that would test whether Missouri's recruiting has kept pace with it's climb into national prominence.
Weatherspoon's name has been circulating in NFL circles this past offseason. Several NFL scouts who were on campus for Mizzou's pro day approached Weatherspoon to talk to him about his future.
"When the scouts came in and did the pro day workout with the older guys, I talked to a few of them,"
Weatherspoon said. "It's good to be around and just communicating with people. It's nothing serious, but some of the places on the Internet say my chances of being a third- or fourth-rounder are pretty good, but I don't want to settle for anything like that."
Several mock drafts have Weatherspoon rated as one of the top five outside linebackers in the 2009 draft and a possible second- or third-round pick. NFLDraftScout.com lists Weatherspoon as the No. 2 linebacker in the 2010 draft and a possible first-round pick.
Weatherspoon led the Tigers with 130 tackles last year, and 77 of those were unassisted. He was third on the team with 9.5 tackles for a loss, was second on the team with eight pass breakups and forced two fumbles. This preseason, he has been named to the Lott and Nagurski watch lists, which highlight the nation's best defensive players.
Almost two months out of surgery, Weatherspoon has been participating in Mizzou's seven-on-seven drills and lifting in the weight room to restore strength and flexibility to his shoulder. He's been learning from safeties Moore and Hardy Ricks, each of whom went through the same surgery.
"It's great to see how far they've come from their surgeries,"
Weatherspoon said. "I was talking to Willie Mo and Hardy and they were just talking about how they felt when they first started lifting. They definitely give me confidence because Willie Mo, he's already back out there going full speed and everything."
As for thoughts of the NFL, Weatherspoon said those have taken a back seat to rehab, the prospect of a Big 12 and national championship, and catching up on that rest he missed while he was at home.
"I'm just going into this year thinking about winning a national championship and whatever happens, happens,"
Weatherspoon said. "I love being in Columbia and I love being around here. I'm not in a hurry to get out of here."
