Calvin Hart Jr. still thinks about his first game as an Illini back on Aug. 28. It had been over eight months since Hart made the transfer from North Carolina State to Illinois, becoming Bret Bielema's first signing as the new head coach.

After Hart spent all spring, summer and fall with the Illini, Bielema had a clear vision of the role Hart would assume on the defense; he knew Hart was a special player.  

The second Hart entered the transfer portal after the 2020 season, Bielema knew that was the kind of player he wanted on the Illini. He called NC State head coach Dave Doeren, who is also a close friend of Bielema's, and Doeren told him, "you're going to want this guy as bad as anybody."

Doeren wasn't overstating the impact Hart could make on any roster. That was apparent through the first 45 minutes of Hart's Illinois debut. The then-sophomore put Illinois up 16-9 just before halftime with a scoop-and-score fumble recovery. He tallied six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

"I kind of had this conception of what I thought he would really be able to bring to us," Bielema said. "But game day, even though it's one short game, I think he's probably what they would classify as a gamer. He plays at a really good intensity, he usually find himself around the ball, like that scoop and score, just to execute that just tells you as a little bit of game day savvy."

But in the fourth quarter, Hart's first season in Champaign came to an abrupt end. He left the game with an apparent injury and later announced he tore his ACL in his left leg.

Hart came to Illinois to make an immediate impact on the Illini. While it was short-lived, Hart did just that against Nebraska, helping Illinois to its first win under Bielema. But, that one game was far from what Hart imagined his first season to be.

Now, eight months removed from the injury, Hart is finally back on the field for spring practices. But getting back to that point in his career was more difficult than he ever imagined.

"Being away from the game, especially just transferring in, and being able to have a big impact the first game," Hart said.  Just having that snatched away so quickly was the hardest thing and really having that want to just get back out there and not being able to get back out there because of injury. It was tough dealing with that."

That was also the first time Hart had ever been away from football for an extended period of time. He said he's been blessed to never have a season-ending injury before last season. But, that made it even harder when the game was taken away. Hart can't remember the last fall he wasn't playing football.

The first couple weeks removed from the injury were the worst. Hart had a difficult time accepting the injury and the long recovery time. While Hart eventually learned to be patient with himself and his leg, the initial emotions were anger.

"I probably learned more about him during the road to recovery than anything," Bielema said. "He went through an anger phase. I literally had to get on him the day after the injury because he was just so angry. And that can sometimes be prohibitive, you can't go forward with a clouded mind. So we talked about that, his progress."

After getting past the anger phase, the recovery became smoother for Hart. He stayed around the facility at all times, working with strength coach Tank Wright and the entire training room.

He was as dedicated to making a swift recovery as he was to gunning for the quarterback in the backfield. Holding onto that mindset was Hart's way of remaining patient and level-headed through the process. He needed that fiery attitude to keep pushing.

"Staying at the facility is what kept me kind of uplifted, working out with my therapy," Hart said. "So being able to do that, lift and work out and being there with Tank. That's what kept me sane and kept me wanting to strive to be better."

Hart also focused on finding things outside of football that made him feel good. He admittedly played a lot of Call of Duty during recovery. But he also fell in love with yoga. It was something that felt productive and helped his body regain strength.

But Hart was never away from the locker room too long. Because he was still new to the team and the program, continuing to build those relationships with his teammates and coaches was more important than ever. If he wasn't able to lead the Illini on the field, he needed to find ways to become a leader with his voice.

"I just loved being around the guys. I just stayed around them, always uplifting them, trying to motivate them to be better," Hart said. "I always challenged them to find that one more for the day, just to find that one thing to get better at because you never know when the game will be gone or taken away from you. Never know how long you're gonna be able to play. So just being around them, being able to instill the things I know, was why we were able to build a good relationship."

Bielema remembers how badly Hart wanted to stay involved and be at every practice, especially right after the injury. While he appreciated his linebacker's attitude and drive, he needed Hart to focus on himself first.

With ACL injuries, Bielema said it's important to stay off that leg in the beginning to prevent excessive swelling that would likely set the recovery process back. Again, that was frustrating for Hart.

"Once he was kind of cleared and moving around, he was always at practice," Bielema said. "He wasn't just at practice watching the guys. They were getting ready for game day and he was helping the young guys on the look team. And to me that says a lot about who he is."

After spending a season watching from the bench on crutches or in a brace, Hart can finally be on the field with his brothers again.

While the injury reminded him why he fell in love with football and gave him time for self-reflection, nothing was more gratifying than putting the pads back on for the first time.

Hart is looking forward to putting the Illini uniform back on for the spring game next week, but the best part of spring: "Practicing. I'm excited just to practice and be on the field. Just taking each practice like it's my last."