To say Max Borghi was excited to play this season would be an understatement. The preseason All-Pac-12 running back was the only player in the nation named to both the Doak Walker Award watch list (given to the best running back in football) and the Fred Biletnikoff Award watch list (given to the best receiver in football). The junior was all over WSU’s training camp footage and told the media in a press conference “I love football and I want to play no matter what it takes.”

Borghi was pumped to play and Cougar fans everywhere were excited to see him take the field in game one at Oregon State.

Well... Game one arrived... and Max Borghi didn’t play.

As it turns out, Borghi missed the first two games with an undisclosed injury. WSU head coach Nick Rolovich didn’t rule him out for the season, but also never gave much of an update on his progression.

That changed on Tuesday night when Rolovich confirmed that Borghi had returned to practice.

“Yeah, it was good to have him out there,” Rolovich said Tuesday. “Nice to see 21 out there again and I think he just has a presence on the field that affects the rest of the team positively. So, we were happy for that.”

“He’s been dedicated to getting back onto the field,” offensive lineman Liam Ryan added. “He worked just as hard, just like he would be on the field. So it’s been nice to see him back out there and he’s going to work hard to get back and playing his role. His role has been different this year.”

Ryan is excited that Borghi is getting his shot to return, but also warned people not to overlook the back that filled in for Borghi this season: Deon McIntosh.

“Don’t forget about Deon,” Ryan said, “don’t forget about that guy.”

There’s no guarantee that we’ll see Borghi back in game action this weekend... But a return to practice is a major step forward and opens the door that we’ll see the electric running back in action before the end of 2020.

'He just has a presence on the field.' Max Borghi makes long-awaited return to Washington State practice | The Spokesman-Review
It may not be this Sunday, but Max Borghi should be playing meaningful football for Washington State sometime in the near future.

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