A few weeks ago, Chris Galippo stopped to do an interview after a workout on the USC campus and talked about how he wanted to get better physically.

Ive been missing out on so much since Ive been here with being hurt and not being able to lift and run and all that stuff, he said. This is my first true offseason.

This is a big deal for me.

Within a week, he was out with mononucleosis.

Tuesday, Galippo was back on the field, going through conditioning drills with Trojan coaches, and he said hes feeling much better.

Im feeling good. Everything is back, and Im pretty healthy. I lost around eight pounds nothing too much, he said. And, I was surprised I didnt lose more ground with conditioning. Theres not been too much of a drop off.

Galippos most recent setback came as a surprise to him, with minor symptoms leading to a relatively serious illness.

I had a minor case. I wasnt very contagious. I didnt have a ton of symptoms. My throat hurt, but I wasnt really tired, he said. I had an appetite, which is rare. I just took a blood test and it came back positive.

It wasnt like I was on my deathbed.

But, the illness did shock the system a little and left Galippo questioning whether hed ever end up on the right side of luck.

I wondered if I could ever catch a break, he said.

But in a way, he did.

The timing of the illness, it turns out, couldnt have been better. He only missed one week of school and two weeks of workouts, and with spring break falling last week, he ad time to get back in the swing of things by the start of USCs spring practices.

Id rather get it out of the way now. Its better that happened now than in August, he said. All last week, I was able to catch up and get some workouts in.

It was only two weeks that I missed. Coming back here, there was a little huffing and puffing, but these next few days should get me to 100 percent for Saturday.

The only remaining hurdle is a visit to the doctor on Wednesday, but Galippo isnt expecting any more setbacks.

The spleen can enlarge and rupture if it gets hit, but it shouldnt be an issue, he said. Im getting an ultrasound (Wednesday), and I should be all good to go hopefully.

Posted on March 25th, 2009 by admin
Filed under: College football news, NCAA college football