When Kordell Young had two healthy knees, he could run the length of the football field in 11 seconds. Who knows how fast he could walk to class?

But in the weeks after Young's surgery to repair a torn ligament in his knee, Rutgers' sophomore tailback apparently aged quite a bit as he treked around campus.

"The most frustrating part was seeing everybody else walking," he said, "and it was taking me 10 years to get to class."

Exaggeration aside, Young summed up the first few weeks of his rehabilitation process like this: "It was hard because I had one strong leg and one leg that's not that strong, so I kept pushing myself to get it (the weaker leg) stronger."

Now, two months since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the Sept. 15 game against Norfolk State, Young said his rehabilitation has become "fun."

"I like trying to get back to where I was," the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder from West Deptford said. "I'm getting my leg stronger everyday."

Maybe it's because he never takes a rehab session lightly, going full-steam for two-to-three hours a day with Rutgers' training staff at the Hale Center. Perhaps it's because he simply knows his work ethic will overcome any hurdles that get in the way.

Whatever the reason, Young expects to be in the mix again at tailback when training camp begins next summer. And if Ray Rice decides to forgo his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft, Young may just be counted on to be Rutgers' primary rusher next fall.

"I think I'll have to earn my spot regardless," said Young, who showed glimpses of why he was among the nation's top running back recruits last season, when he ran for 138 yards on 29 carries (4.8 average) and hauled in three passes for 39 yards in limited action behind Ray Rice.

"If it's fourth-string or first-string, it doesn't matter. I'm still going to have to earn my job," he offered. "It's up to me."

First, Young has a few more months of grueling rehab before he steps onto the gridiron again.

"I'm doing stuff with weights now," said Young, who was on crutches for six weeks following the Sept. 21 surgery. "I started lifting small weights the day after surgery. I started leg pressing three weeks ago. And now I'm riding a bike."

Though Young expects to be cleared to begin football-related activities in early 2008, he's not sure whether he'll be allowed to fully participate in spring football practice.

"I know I start doing more drills this spring," he said, "but (playing) is up to the doctors and the coaching staff to decide."

For as frustrating as the rehab was, Young could only grin and bear to watch his team play the past seven weeks, watching from the sideline in every home game.

While he'll likely watch Rutgers' regular-season finale Nov. 29 at Louisville from his living room, Young insists he won't be thinking what might've been. Though he probably would've had an increased role in Rutgers' offense this fall, it's on special teams where coach Greg Schiano believes Young would've made his biggest impact.

Schiano said Young's loss has been felt in his team's kick return game, and the former South Jersey sprint champion's 32.0 yards per return average is a case in point.

"People kind of just passed it over," Schiano said recently of Young's injury. "I didn't. . . . We've missed him quite a bit."

Young, who will receive a medical redshirt this season and have three years of eligibility remaining, said he's looking "at the bright side" of his setback.

"It gives me a chance to have another year here," he said. "I'll come back stronger because of the fact that I'm in the weight room all the time."