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James Conner is just a few days away from making his long-awaited return, and he spoke to the media on Tuesday.

How important were all your teammates towards getting you through your battle?
They’ve always been there to count on, taking my mind off things. Just real important, they’ve all had my back. I’m always thankful for them.

Are you getting tired of talking about the recovery?
Everybody keeps asking me how I’m doing. But I’m just like ‘you’ll figure out for yourself on the 3rd.’ I’m just ready to run.

Pat Narduzzi mentioned that he feels like you’re smiling more out there, do you feel the same way?
I’ve always been that type of way, but every day I have a constant reminder to be grateful to be in the position I’m in. But I’m always smiling.

Are you anxious at all?
Very.

How many people do you have coming from Erie for the opener?
My high school put together the McDowell Mob, and they bring about 400 people. They got them all bus tickets and game tickets. And of course my family. My brother who’s in the Air Force, he’s making a trip here on Thursday. I’ll have a good supporting cast there.

What’s it mean to you to see all the people coming from Erie to support you and witness the opener?
With them all being from my high school, it’s always good to have hometown support. I cherish that.

Has the normalcy of game week been a good thing for you?
Yeah. It just feels back to normal again. Had a good, solid practice today, we’re going to have a good, solid one tomorrow and then lock in, get ready for Saturday.

Do you think Pitt can get back into the national landscape and have a season with a lot of relevancy?
Yeah, of course. The strength of our schedule, we’ve got great teams every week. I think with the team we’ve got, the coaches we’ve got, we definitely can get back into the talks of a national championship. We’re always breaking down [practice with] ‘ACC champs.’ We’ve got to accomplish that first, and then onto bigger things, for the national championship, I definitely feel like we can compete with anybody in the country.

What’s it like being a part of this offense?
I think it’s going to be tough for other teams to stop. Coach Canada, he works so hard. And all the coaches— Coach Powell— they just all work so hard. And the offense is designed for anybody, not just me. I’m a captain, one of the leaders on the offense, but anybody is liable to make a play— at tight end, receiver, running back, anything.

Especially with it being game week, how often have you been thinking about getting on the field again?
I’ve been thinking about that since forever ago. The anticipation is real. I’m ready for it all. My teammates got my back. I’ve got their back. They can count on me, I can count on them. September 3rd, great day.

Do you have sense for what kind of workload you’ll have Saturday?
No, I don’t know

What did it mean to be elected team captain?
That’s a huge honor. That’s one of my favorite honors so far because it’s voted on by the teammates. I really wanted to be a team captain, but I told those guys I hope you didn’t select me to be a team captain just because I beat cancer. I hope it’s about my work ethic and being somebody that guys can count on, on and off the field. That’s what I told them. It means a lot.

Where did you learn your work ethic?
It’s something you’re born with really, I believe.