At first, Fitzgerald Toussaint thought he was just experiencing a really bad leg cramp early in Michigan’s 42-17 rout of Iowa in November.

Then, the redshirt senior looked down. Toussaint’s “out-of-wack” knee, as the running back put it, was the last thing he remembered seeing before he entered a state of shock, only coming out of it once joined by his mother at the hospital. Somebody, possibly a referee, told Toussaint to stay down, despite his instinct to get right up.

“It was just shocking,” Toussaint said Thursday after the team’s eighth practice of the spring. “Like, how did that happen?”

Toussaint compared his injury to the gruesome one suffered by then-South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore that made national headlines because of the unnatural way his right knee bent. When Toussaint looked down at what he would find out was a broken left tibia and a fractured left fibula, the hit on Lattimore is what immediately came to mind.

He knew then, lying in the hospital bed, that his season was done, but he was determined to make sure his career wasn’t.

About halfway through the spring football season, Toussaint isn’t yet ready for contact, but he described himself at about 85-90 percent health, ahead of schedule based off the initial prognosis. The possibility of sitting out this year and applying for a medical redshirt wasn’t something he ever considered. When Toussaint came out of his boot, after the Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina, he realized playing this season was realistic.

“It was a long few days (in the hospital),” Toussaint said. “I had my leg kicked up. I couldn’t use the bathroom. I couldn’t eat.”

Toussaint’s found an ally in recovery in junior cornerback Blake Countess, whose year ended in the Wolverines’ season-opening loss to then-No. 2 Alabama.

“Working with Blake is really inspirational,” Toussaint said. “We come in here and support the team and do what we have to do to contribute.”

That’s a much different role than the one Toussaint assumed in spring ball last year. Then, he became the top running back on the depth chart. Now, he has to leave the field when the pads come on, working on conditioning while the other backs take reps.

As part of his rehabilitation, Toussaint arrives in the morning for about a 90-minute rehab session before heading to class, only to return in the afternoon when he bookends practice with hour-long sessions.

Toussaint said he’s “basically” living at the football facilities “to the point where they want to kick me out.”

Until he’s back to 100 percent, Toussaint insists on making sure the younger running backs, like redshirt sophomore Justice Hayes, are doing everything they can to take advantage of the time with the coaching staff.

“I’m ready for (full pads), but I need to fine tune some things,” Toussaint said. “I wouldn’t do it because I don’t think I’m ready for the contact part. It’s more of a feel — the more rehab I do, the better I can prepare myself.”

RYAN UPDATE: After tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in practice on March 19, redshirt junior linebacker Jake Ryan underwent surgery Thursday.

Recovery times vary for such an injury, so coach Brady Hoke was hardpressed to give a definitive answer as to whether Ryan would play this season, though he remains optimistic.

“I think everybody’s different,” Hoke said. “Nine months to 12 months, some people say. Some people say six to nine. I think it just depends on the individual.”

In Ryan’s absence, Hoke expects redshirt senior Cameron Gordon and junior Brennan Beyer — who moved from defensive end to linebacker — to fill in.

“I don’t think they’ve changed their work habits, their game or their work ethic.” Hoke said of Ryan’s understudies.

When asked for a more definitive timetable on Ryan’s return, Hoke said “I can’t make those predictions, I’m not qualified,” but that “his progress is going well.”

FUTURE SCHEDULING: Michigan will host Cincinnati at Michigan Stadium on Sep. 9, 2017, the Detroit News reported Wednesday.

According to the report, the University will pay the Bearcats, who have never played against Michigan, $1.2 million to make the trip.

The men’s basketball team is expected to play a home-and-home series against Cincinnati in 2015 and 2018, the report said. Exact dates are yet to be announced.