Sam Reynolds III’s 5-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter of Towson’s 14-9 win against Morgan State was the first of his college career. So it’s not shocking that the score is also his favorite.

“It’s not even close,” the redshirt junior wide receiver said. “I went through hills and mountains to get that.”

Reynolds isn’t exaggerating. He is 13 months removed from surviving a heart attack in his sleep that forced doctors to place him in a medically induced coma to protect his brain from further damage.

Reynolds’ appearance in the Tigers’ season opener at Cincinnati on Aug. 31 came 651 days since his last appearance, a 27-7 victory over Hampton on Nov. 19, 2022, and 384 days since his heart attack. His determination to return to football is an inspiration for his teammates and coaches.

“His teammates are just fired up that he’s back with us,” coach Pete Shinnick said. “The fact that he caught a touchdown, it was fun in the locker room. We gave him the ball that he caught. To be back from all of the things that had taken place for him and to have a full recovery, it’s amazing, it’s a miracle, and it’s a blessing.”

Since the age of 10 when he began playing organized football, Reynolds said he has avoided serious injuries except for his freshman year at South Carolina in 2021, when he battled shin splints. And nothing felt out of the ordinary on Nov. 14, 2023, when the 5-foot-8, 185-pound slot receiver returned to his apartment after a day of practice, meetings and some time with girlfriend Victoria Barrett, a senior outside hitter on Towson’s volleyball team. “I was hooping at practice and doing my thing,” he quipped.

The 21-year-old Reynolds said he went to bed around 10 p.m. When he woke up to use the bathroom, he found an IV line attached to his arm and his parents Grateful and Sam Reynolds Jr. and several doctors around his bed at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. His parents informed him that he had suffered a heart attack in his sleep and was rushed to the hospital where doctors placed him in a medically induced coma for the next three days. Reynolds thought he was being pranked.

“I woke up and felt like I just had the best night of sleep,” he said. “I felt refreshed. I didn’t think too much of it until I looked, and there was a wall of doctors. At that point, it was like, ‘All right, what are the steps to getting back to walking and just being able to live my life?’”

Redshirt junior wide receiver Lukkas Londono found out about Reynolds’ heart attack after receiving a group text before midnight. He said teammates congregated the next day in the locker room waiting for an update on Reynolds’ status.

After driving to the hospital with his wife Traci, Shinnick said he was startled when he saw Reynolds’ body connected to a bank of monitors and machines. Shinnick said he feared the worst.

“When a guy’s not responding and nothing’s happening, you’ve got all of the emotions in the world, and you’re trying to go through, ‘OK, what’s going to happen? What’s going to take place? How is he going to make it?’” he said. “And when they got him out of that [coma], there was still a little bit of some time where he didn’t respond. So now you’re going, ‘How is this going to play out? What’s going to take place with him?’”

Reynolds recovered quickly enough to return in time for the start of the fall semester on campus, and he wore a portable defibrillator for two to three months. But when he voiced his desire to return to football for the final two games of the season, his mother and the doctors had concerns and delayed that pursuit until after the 2023 season.

“It was more about getting back to normal for me,” he said. “Getting back to class, being on time to graduate, rehabbing, that was about finding my routine and maintaining that routine to get back to where I wanted to be.”

In January, Reynolds underwent a procedure but said doctors still don’t know why a healthy 20-year-old athlete suffered a heart attack.

“It kind of makes you think that you never know when it’s your time,” he said. “So I always have a smile on my face, and I always try to make somebody else smile. I’ve started to notice the little things in life. So I appreciate that, and you just want to realize that in the moment, it’s the little wins and little things that I enjoy a lot more.”

Doctors, the training staff at Towson and coaches limited Reynolds’ participation in spring ball, but he was given full clearance for preseason camp. Londono said the heart attack hasn’t changed Reynolds.

“It’s like he never had it,” he said. “He’s 100%. Actually, he’s more like 110%. He probably has more of a drive right now than he did before.”

Reynolds didn’t disagree with his teammate, adding that he feels “hungrier” than before.

“I think that’s the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “I trust in the Mayo Clinic, and I trust the situation around me. I don’t feel like the coaches would put me in any bad situation. I’m just kind of taking it day by day and enjoying everything. I’m being where my feet are, which is a big thing for me and which is why I don’t overthink what could or could not happen.”

Shinnick said Reynolds’ ordeal and recovery are an inspiration for others. Reynolds blushed at the accolade.

“I think I’m just a normal human,” he said. “I’m always an open book, and if anyone wants to reach out and talk to me, I’m always there. I’m always a resource. I’d say I’m not a role model yet because I’m still learning about myself, but I’d love to be a resource for somebody else if they need it.”