Xavier Kelley is playing well despite an injury.

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Xavier Kelley isn't comfortable in the spotlight.

"I'm more of an in-the-shadows kind of guy," he said. "I like to sneak around the room and go unnoticed a lot. I'm not into all the attention."

Tough. The Arizona Wildcats junior linebacker is playing too well lately to stay hidden.

Kelley has registered 17 tackles in his last three games, nearly as many as he had in his previous two seasons combined (20). He had nine stops and recovered a fumble in the UA's 55-45 loss to Oregon last week, and is expected to be in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Oregon State.

The Star talked to Kelley, 22, this week about his health, friends and what he does for fun. Here are three things you need to know about the Wildcats starting weakside linebacker.

● He's still recovering. Kelley suffered a sprained right ankle in Arizona's Week 2 win over Toledo, and still hasn't fully recovered. He returned to the lineup in Week 5, but didn't register a statistic until the UA beat Cal in Week 7, when he made four tackles.

Kelley said the injury — and long recovery — has been "definitely frustrating."

"There was a time there when I probably wanted to give up, you know? I thought I had worked so hard and come so far … for something like that to happen, I thought maybe it wasn't meant to be," he said. "Then that thought left my head and I came back. Now I'm back into it."

Kelley rehabs his sprained right ankle three times a day. He soaks his ankle in the "cold tub" every morning, undergoes "stim" — stimulation therapy — in the afternoon, and works on balance and other physical therapy with the training staff before practice.

The worst part?

"It's the cold tub — I don't think anybody wants to get in there," he said. "I just dip my foot in and close my eyes, and prepare to get out of there. I like water — just warm water."

● He has famous friends. Kelley lives with quarterback Willie Tuitama, arguably the UA's most visible player, but can claim a national hero as a buddy.

Kelley and the rest of the UA's linebackers receive weekly encouragement from an unlikely fan: Lt. Col. Greg Gadson. Both of Gadson's legs had to be amputated after he was injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq. Gadson, who played for UA linebackers coach Tim Kish at Army, spoke to the team before last year's win over UCLA, and again before the October win over Washington.

Gadson calls the Cats linebackers every Thursday before practice. Kelley, a 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pounder from Denton, Texas, is one of his favorites.

"He told me basically that my role right now — being injured and everything — is to set an example for the guys, to show them the process of getting back onto the field," Kelley said.

Kelley considers Gadson a friend and mentor, even if he isn't sure what to call him yet.

"You know, we're getting into that," he said. "We're still formal, but we work in, 'Hey Greg,' or 'Coach G.' "

● He's a gamer. Kelley is competitive in everything — including video games.

Kelley, Tuitama and running back Xavier Smith spend much of their free time playing "Call of Duty: World at War," a World War II-themed video game, on PlayStation3.

Kelley, Tuitama and Smith keep in touch via wireless headsets, although Kelley said "you can hear the other guy through the walls" anyway.

Kelley and Tuitama are the most competitive at sports games; their favorite game is "NBA 2K9," a hoops game released last month.

"That's when me and Willie can't get out of each other's rooms," he said. "I'll win, and then I'll be like, 'C'mon, Willie. Get out.'

"It's just a competition thing."