Khaseem Greene knows how risky college football can be. Last October, Greene’s half-brother Ray Graham spent several tense moments on the ground at Heinz Field after injuring his right knee.
When the Pittsburgh running back returned to sideline he slammed a trainer’s table in frustration, presumably after learning of the seriousness of the injury. Graham, then the second-leading rusher in FBS, had just received his last snap of the 2011 season.
Weeks later, Greene suffered an injury just as severe. In last December’s Pinstripe Bowl (above), the Rutgers’ linebacker rushed unabated toward Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz when Greene’s momentum screeched to a halt. As Greene made his pursuit, his right leg became caught in the Yankee Stadium turf. It caused Greene’s right ankle to bend to the inside before contorting backward.
With the help of their uncle Hakeem, both pushed each other to work arduously in their respective rehabilitation programs.
This week both returned to practice, intent on putting the gruesome injuries behind them.
“I give a lot of credit to my uncle Hakeem. He’s always been our biggest critic -- he’s always been an advocate,” Greene told Yardbarker.com “There’d be days where I’d be feeling lazy and I’d have two workouts by design set up. He’d send me a video of Ray doing something -- squatting, whatever it may be. And he’s like ‘Ray is out here working, what are you doing?’ He’d send Ray a video of me doing a workout and say ‘(Khaseem) is out here working, what are you doing?”
On Thursday, Greene was the lone player from the Big East to receive inclusion on the SI.com Preseason All-American team. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior is coming off one of the most prolific individual seasons in Rutgers’ history. After making a seamless transition from safety to linebacker, Greene finished with 141 tackles -- the fifth-highest from anyone to wear a Rutgers jersey.
Greene ended the season with 25 more tackles than anyone in the conference. The Scarlet Knights’ defender shared Big East 2011 co-defensive player of the year honors with Cincinnati DL Derek Wolfe.
Greene has dealt with crushing injuries in the past. In a 2006 New Jersey sectional championship, Greene was sidelined after taking a blow to his head. Graham, his teammate at Elizabeth High School, vowed to take over.
“Raymond said: ‘I’m gonna bring it home for you bro, I’m gonna bring it home for you,’” former Elizabeth coach Chet Parlavecchio told the Newark Star-Ledger.
Graham finished with more than 100 yards and added a dramatic last-minute touchdown for the win.
The Panthers’ running back is the only player from the league to be nominated for the Walter Camp Award, given annually to the nation’s top player. At the time of his injury, Graham was on pace to set several records and loomed as a possible sleeper for the Heisman Trophy.
With a rushing style reminiscent of former Pitt rusher LeSean McCoy, Graham piles up yards with his shiftiness and ability to change directions quickly. The diminutive 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior has described his injury as “a minor setback that will become a major comeback.”
Though the two played alongside each other dating to their days in Pop Warner, they have never lived in the same home. Growing up, Graham lived with his parents Raymond and Nyla, while Greene lived with his mother Arnessa.
“We’re brothers from different mothers,” Graham told the Star-Ledger.
The half-brothers will likely face each other for the final time in a Big East contest on Nov. 24 at Heinz Field.
“At the end of the day, that’s my brother,” Greene told Yardbarker.com. “I want to see him succeed just as much as he wants to see me succeed.”
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Big East, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.
