College Football Player Who Survived Shooting Returns to Practice

Virginia running back Mike Hollins returned to the team's football practice this week, four months after he survived a shooting that killed three football players.

Hollins was a full participant in the team's first spring practice after he recovered from being shot in the back in November.

He had to spend time on a ventilator while recovering from the incident before being released from the hospital after a week of treatment.

Virginia football coach reacts

"Just to watch how he's attacked everything, could easily have made excuses, easily have overthought things, but he's taking it upon himself to respond and show perseverance and be resilient," Virginia football coach Tony Elliott said.

"I think a lot of it is for himself, but the majority of it is for his teammates. There was a time when we didn't know if he's ever have the chance to play football again.

"I'm just grateful to be on the grass, grateful to have an opportunity to be here at the University of Virginia and lead this program, lead these young men, all the guys that decided to come back and pick up the pieces and turn this tragedy into a triumph."

Elliott added, "Just to happy for Mike because we all know that as a football player that your time is going to come to an end.

"You definitely wouldn't want it to come to an end in that fashion. So to see him have another opportunity, just to go out on his own terms, makes it really special."

UVA football shooting

Hollins was one of four Virginia football players shot on a bus after the team returned to campus from a field trip to Washington.

Hollins' mother recalled that her son returned to the bus to help others after the shooting began.

In 30 games with the Cavaliers, Hollins has 540 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, adding 24 receptions fof 197 yards.

Lavel Davis, Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry were killed in the shooting.

Marlee Morgan, another UVA student, was shot but survived the injury.

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams