Camden Lang is a 14-year-old Ole Miss fanatic, a boy whose Rebels fandom was preordained before his birth. A fourth-generation Rebels rooter, Lang has poured over Ole Miss game film since he was six years old and spent last football season playing quarterback, wide receiver and safety for his father, with dreams of suiting up for the Rebels one day.
Those dreams were tragically and indefinitely put on hold earlier this month. On July 9, Lang and a friend were pushing an out-of-juice electric golf cart along a Georgia road when a car rolled up on the boys, crushing Lang in between the vehicle and the golf cart. He suffered a fracture in his lower back, "severely" broken legs, and damage to his soft tissue and numerous major blood vessels. "It's heart wrenching," Lang's father Mark, the head football coach at Camden Middle School, told FootballScoop. "You're just beside yourself."
Lang has undergone five surgeries in the past two weeks. Five of how many? It's impossible to say at this point. He's been in ICU since the accident and will remain so until further notice. The path forward from here is uncharted, but the next step involves a wheel chair.
On Monday, Camden County High School head coach Bob Sphire put Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke in touch with the Langs. The call was captured on video.
"I wanted you to know that we are behind you. I know you've got a big surgery coming up, and you're in our thoughts and prayers, man," Luke says. "As soon as you get can get back after it, I want you to come out here and come to a game."
"When he has those hard days and it looks pretty grim, that's one of those good things he can look back and lean on and hold on to. Not just to talk to Coach Luke, but for Coach Luke to say, 'Hey, listen. Me and the team, we know about you, we're aware of you, we're praying for you, we're rooting for you. You're not in it by yourself. Those are the things that are a huge encouragement to him."