John Bazemore/Associated Press

You hear words like “heartbreak,” “inspiration” and “comeback” used with Ole Miss junior wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, but none of them seem to be entirely fitting or worthy.

Perhaps that’s because the way he sustained a horrific injury, on national television with a high-profile game on the line, or that it had such a wide-reaching impact. Regardless, Treadwell remains on pace to be back in the starting lineup when Ole Miss opens the season against Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 5.

“He’s killing it,” junior tight end Evan Engram said. “He’s come a long way from his injury, strength-wise, confidence-wise. He’s back to being that leader—I mean he’s never left as being a leader—but he’s running around getting guys right, teaching the young guys.

“It’s good to see him back, and he’s having fun.”

Although Ole Miss players won’t officially report to training camp until early August, Treadwell pushed himself through the spring and remained busy over the summer in hopes of not just returning but coming back a better player.

Teammates say he’s lost a little weight, is jumping higher and may be even more explosive. Granted, there can be some hesitation when he’s going through drills opposite defenders, which is normal for any player coming off a serious injury, but even his coaches can’t stop raving about his progress.

“I'm anxious to get pads on him and see how he responds when the ball's a little high and in traffic,” Hugh Freeze said.

Of course, the last time Treadwell was in uniform was Nov. 1. Although Ole Miss was coming off a 10-7 loss at LSU, it was still ranked fourth in the playoff standings and hosting No. 3 Auburn. At minimum the winner would control its own destiny, and the stadium atmosphere matched the intensity from what was at stake.

Down 35-31, the Rebels’ season was hanging in the balance in the fourth quarter. The offense had just lost a fumble inside the Auburn 10, while the defense was in the process of giving up a then-season high in points and yards (507).

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Only one minute, 38 seconds remained on the clock when the Rebels snapped the ball facing 3rd-and-3 at the Auburn 20. With three wide receivers lined up to the left, the call was a play-action, catch-and-run screen pass to Treadwell, who stepped back and caught it at about the 23. With a burst he eluded two would-be tacklers and quickly closed in on the goal line.

With Auburn attacking, the only player who had a chance to stop him was Kris Frost, who had started the play on the other side of the field. Because Treadwell already had a step on him, the linebacker had to try and pull him down from behind.

The force of the tackle caused Treadwell to swing back the arm carrying the ball, which had yet to cross the goal line, but in the process Frost landed on the speedster's planted left leg, resulting in a fracture and dislocated ankle.

“Extremely unfortunate,” Frost said. “It was one of those freak accident plays that just kind of happens when playing this rough sport that we play.”

Although initially ruled a go-ahead touchdown, replay confirmed that it was actually a fumble, with Auburn’s Cassanova McKinzy recovering in the end zone. For Ole Miss, whose fans had been poised to celebrate another dramatic win, it didn’t just suck the joy out of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium but the season too.

“The way it ended, it hurt,” senior safety Mike Hilton said. “We all thought he scored at first. He didn’t, and the way he got hurt it really brought our energy down.”

Things just weren’t the same after that, even in practice, and coupled with some other key injuries, Ole Miss struggled down the stretch. It meandered through a 48-0 victory against Presbyterian and the subsequent bye week, only to make six turnovers during a crushing 30-0 loss at Arkansas.

Ole Miss closed out the regular season with a 31-17 victory against rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl but was pounded by a hungry TCU team in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, 42-3.

“For it to happen like it did, adversity is certainly a teaching tool, but that next week, I don't know—I tried everything in the world, but I didn't sense that we could rebound from it,” Freeze said.

Laquan Treadwell's receiving statistics Season Games Catches Yards TDs 2013 13 72 608 5 2014 9 48 632 5 Total 22 120 1,240 10 Sports Reference LLC

Only now can the players fully see that Treadwell’s injury was really a mortal wound for the 2014 season.

“It took a lot out of us,” senior linebacker C.J. Johnson said. “To lose any player like that would hurt, but to lose Laquon, that was something that was tough for us to bounce back from.”

But with Treadwell back, optimism has returned to Oxford, and he’s become one of those rare players who just about everyone in the SEC can’t help but root for. Even Frost, who reached out to Treadwell the day after the injury, made a point to watch the Ole Miss spring game and enjoyed seeing the wide receiver run around on the sideline.

He might not like it so much in a couple of months.

“We feel like we’re refreshed,” Johnson said.

“I think we’re going to do something special,” Hilton said.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.