Nay'Quan Wright: Leading from the sidelines while rehabbing ankle

Florida Gators running back Nay’Quan Wright was racing down the sideline at Steve Spurrier Field when FSU linebacker Amari Gainer caught him in the regular season finale last year.

Gainer pulled Wright down from behind and dragged Wright to the ground — the full weight of both players coming down on Wright’s ankle.

Bones aren’t meant to bend the way Wright’s did and certainly not with that kind of force and pressure. His ankle snapped. It was a sound a feeling he’d experienced before, suffering a broken ankle back in high school.

“Same thing, just a different leg,” Wright told reporters on Tuesday.

The injury is something Wright’s been through. He’s just now getting back to being able to run, but it isn’t something that will change him as a person.

“He’s from south Miami, a south Florida man. You think he don’t have an edge already? He wakes up with it,” running backs coach Jabbar Juluke said. “I asked him, I said, ‘How are you feeling?’ He said, ‘Coach, I did this before. It’s not the first time.’ And he’s gonna be fine.”

Wright’s history

A broken ankle isn’t going to faze Nay’Quan Wright. Not the young man who — at just 11 years old — was shot in the chest by a drive-by shooting in Miami. No sir.

Wright was 11 years old and on a field at Bunche Park in Miami Gardens. It was like any other November day — Wright, a talented youngster, was going through practice with his team, the Miami Gardens Cowboys, when a car drove by and opened fire. A bullet ricocheted off of some concrete, striking 11-year old Wright in the chest.

He was rushed to Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital. There, unfortunately, doctors mistakenly told his parents’ incorrect information.

“The doctor said I wouldn’t — my family got a call that I had passed away,” Wright said on a Zoom call with reporters back in 2020.

The shooting left him with nerve damage in his left hand, so he played with little to no feeling in the hand the next year.

“I mean, if it was my time here, He’d call me home. So I feel like He’s not done with me yet. A lot of guys get shot and die instantly. I feel like my job is not done, but He’s not done with me on this Earth,” Wright said in 2020. “So when it’s my time He’s gonna call me at a decent time. It’s just not right now.”

With that perspective, a broken ankle isn’t going to faze Wright or waver his faith or perseverance.

“Just an ankle injury. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine. I’m not really bothered or worried,” Wright said. “My faith is in the Lord, so I know for sure that I’ll come back and be alright.” 

Making an impresson on his head coach

That kind of attitude is why Billy Napier gushes praise when Wright’s name comes up. Napier has yet to see the running back play a down, but just listen to the way he speaks of the young man.

“I think he’s intelligent, he’s tough. He’s been through some things – he’s resilient. He has some leadership qualities. We need the guy. We not only need the guy a running back, we’re missing the guy from that perspective – but we’re also missing his ability to affect the rest of the team,” Napier said of Wright. “I would say in my short time Nay’Quan is one of the players I have the most respect for just because of his approach and overall attitude.”

Wright is the only returning running back with a touchdown scored in 2021. Montrell Johnson, the transfer from Louisiana, had eight last season, but he’s young and new to the Gators.

Wright is taking it on himself to lead the group. He can’t do that on the field, so he’s finding ways to lead off the field. And that doesn’t involve any personal accomplishments or goals. It’s all about the team.

“Honestly, man, my goal is just to win the Natty. That’s just something I want to do. That’s what I’ve been dreaming of,” he said. “In the end, I just want to really win the Natty. That’s a great feeling for us and we owe it to the program. It hasn’t been done in a while. I think we can get it done as long as we stay together.”