By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

John Oliver is tired of sitting on the sidelines.

The former Troup High offensive lineman headed to Central Florida a year ago hopeful of competing for playing time.

It didn’t happen.

An elbow injury sidelined Oliver for the season, and he’s had two surgeries to repair the problem.

The road to recovery is all but complete for Oliver, though, and when he returns to Orlando next month, he’ll be ready to vie for playing time on head coach George O’Leary’s team.

“The coaches told me I’m looking at a lot of playing time,” said Oliver, who has been putting in plenty of hours training at Troup High this spring.

Oliver doesn’t expect to start, but he does think he’ll be a second-team tackle, which means he’ll get on the field.

Oliver is just happy he’ll have the chance to show the coaches what he can do.

It’s been a frustrating time for a player not used to being out of action.

Oliver believes the elbow injury is one he’d had for awhile, but it wasn’t until he arrived in Orlando that it reached critical mass.

“I played with it through high school. It didn’t give me a whole lot of problems,” Oliver said. “When I got down there, I was pass blocking. I got beat around the edge, and I reached, and the scar tissue just ripped apart.”

Oliver had his first surgery in November and a second one in December.

Nearly six months since the final surgery, he figures he’s close to being at full strength.

“Hopefully in another week I can start busting it out,” he said.

Oliver was fairly devastated at the time of the injury, but looking back, he sees a silver lining.

He believes being away from football has helped rekindle his love for the game.

“It’s one of those things where it was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “A lot of times, things are going along so well, you take things for granted. That’s what happened in high school. Football was coming easy for me.

“With the elbow injury and sitting back and watching everybody else, it hurt. I’m a competitor. I don’t like to lose, and having people think I can’t compete. But it was one of those things where I’ve taken the time to assess what I really want out of football and understand where I need to be, compared to where I was before.”

Where Oliver wants to be is on the football field, hopefully leading Central Florida to a Conference USA championship.

“I’m just working out, conditioning, just working on being able to play,” he said.

Oliver was heavily recruited in high school, and he had offers from Notre Dame and Arkansas, among others.

Oliver was sold on Central Florida after making a trip to the school and getting a look at all of the new facilities the program had at its disposal.

One of the gems at Central Florida is an indoor practice facility, which is the only one of its kind in the Sunshine State.

Oliver also liked the idea of being part of a program on the rise.

“That was the big thing that attracted me to it,” Oliver said. “Notre Dame, schools like that, they had tradition. The most you get to do is live up to it. Here, the tradition, you get to write it.”

Oliver also liked the idea of playing for O’Leary, who led Georgia Tech to prominence during the 90s.

Oliver figured the veteran coach would be a no-nonsense kind of guy, and he hasn’t been disappointed.

“A lot of times, I may not like the man, but I do respect him,” Oliver said. “He pushes you.”

Oliver still has about five weeks left before he returns to Orlando, and he’ll use that time to work out, and help out on the family farm in Pine Mountain.

Oliver has been working out at Troup, and in addition to working on his own conditioning, he’s been doing what he can to help the current Tigers.

“They know who I am, and hopefully I can get them to push them a little bit harder then they want to,” Oliver said. “They have a lot of talent.”

Oliver will also do some recruiting while he’s here.

Central Florida has already snared Troup defensive lineman Tay Irvin, who will be a freshman this season.

Rising senior defensive back Cardarious Sanders is also on Central Florida’s wish list.

The recruiting pitch comes easily to Oliver.

“We’re the best-kept secret in Florida,” Oliver said. “We have the best facilities, and we have the best fans in Florida as far as I’m concerned. I love it.”