When asked about the best advice he’s given a younger player about reaching the Alabama football standard. Justin Eboigbe didn’t have to reach too far back into his memory.

Eight months ago, Eboigbe felt like he was playing at the best level of his career, but then a concerning moment in practice led to the diagnosis of a neck injury that ended the senior’s campaign. For a short time, Eboigbe didn’t know if he had played his last down of football. The 6-foot-5 defensive lineman still carries that feeling with him now that he’s fully clearedand finishing up spring practice with the Crimson Tide.

“Every play, every practice, every time we work out we should be grateful for that because you never know when the opportunity is going to cease,” Eboigbe said as he detailed his comeback on Tuesday. “Just taking every day as a day in getting better whether it be in the weight room, on the field, in the meeting room watching film or learning new stuff. Just take advantage of the day that’s given because honestly, I would never thought that that would happen to me back in September but it is what it is and it’s about making the days count.”

Through limited participation in Alabama’s practices, Eboigbe has continually hit a “personal milestone” in his recovery. He felt included when former teammate DJ Dale would ask Eboigbe for any notes as he watched from the sidelines. He felt relieved when associate athletic director of football sports medicine Jeff Allen told him his injury was season-ending and not career-ending. He felt thankful to assistant strength coach UJ Johnson for teaching Eboigbe core stretching and other training techniques which sparked his return.

MORE Tide football: Alabama lineman’s ‘Run the Damn Ball’ hat is more than a fashion statement

What you need to know about Alabama football’s A-Day scrimmage

Eboigbe is expected to be a veteran rotational piece of Alabama’s defensive line this fall. He had 11 tackles and two quarterback hurries and was on pace for a career year. Eboigbe leads the Tide’s defense with 42 games played. The team has reintroduced him slowly in the spring, playing just on third downs in the Tide’s first scrimmage.

“So honestly of course you have a little self-doubt,” Eboigbe said, “but I knew that everything was gonna work out cause the way I was feeling and the feedback from the doctor of how happy and how proud he was as far as like the recovery aspect of where I was at every checkpoint that we had. I knew that everything was working out to where that self-doubt was clearing up. The only thing I knew is once I got cleared the mental aspect of getting hit and hitting people and knowing how mentally that affects me but after that I was straight.

“It’s been more mental than physical because you really don’t know what to expect. When everything went down, I’m just grateful for the coaching staff and training staff, especially for catching it early and honestly, doing the right things to catch it early and then get me with the right people to make sure that I was as happy as I am today. … By the great people at this university, it got me in touch with the right people and made it tremendously easy for the comeback and I’m feeling better now than I did before.”

He likely won’t participate in this weekend’s A-Day game, Saban said on March 20, but even being around the team is a positive step for Eboigbe.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].