To say that Clemson linebacker Brandon Maye is excited to be returning to action this week would be the understatement of the day.  Maye, who has missed the past two games recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, will be back on the field Saturday night against Auburn.

Maye was even excited to see us media types Tuesday morning.  He opened the interview session by reading a prewritten opening statement.  Really, he had an index card with an opening statement thanking a long list of people for getting him back on the field. 

After about seven minutes, as I usually do, I stepped away to grab another player.  As I was walking away I heard someone yelling at me.  It was Maye:

“That’s it? You are leaving already? That is all you want? Really?”

I assured him that he had already given me solid gold and I did my best to avoid becoming his first tackle of the season.

You can hear Maye’s opening statement and the rest of his comments below.

AUDIO: Brandon Maye on his return

Maye is an Alabama native and he grew up a huge Auburn fan.  He wanted to play at Auburn but the Tigers never offered.  He said he went to about four or five games a season.  He is looking forward to experiencing Jordan-Hare as a player Saturday night.  Maye is hoping to prove to the Clemson coaches that he is healthy and ready to contribute.  He also wants to prove that Auburn made a mistake by not offering him a scholarship.