As expected, James Conner returns to Pitt practice as full participant

Pitt's training camp kicked off today and while there are some other things I'll hit a little later, the big thing obviously has been the official return of star running back James Conner from his MCL injury and cancer. Conner was expected to return but to see it actually happen is certainly a milestone in his recovery as he gets back onto the field full time.

Conner, too, was not restricted at all and practiced in full. He participated in the team's workouts in the spring, but you might remember that he couldn't do everything. That is out the window as he is a full participate once again. Head coach Pat Narduzzi said a short while back that Conner was close to peak condition. On Monday, he officially declared the Pitt running back to be 100%:

"It's great to have James," coach Pat Narduzzi said. "I had one of the players say, 'Coach, don't baby him, he's a man.' We know he's a man, but we've still got to be smart. He had a good day. It's great to get him out here. It's real. He's back 100 percent, and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do better."

Now, Conner went on to say that his conditioning wasn't perfect, but the situation is pretty clear here - he is ready for the season.

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