Long road back: Recovered Michigan State guard Matt Carrick ready 'to play my best football'
Ryan Black
EAST LANSING – As Matt Carrick continued to work his way back from a leg injury that cut short his 2020 campaign, his battle became less physical and more mental.
When Michigan State opened preseason camp earlier this month, Carrick was on what the coaching staff called "a pitch count," limiting his reps during practice.
Though the training staff and coaches developed the plan, Carrick played a part, too.
Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic told Carrick that he needed to let the staff know when he wore down.
In the football world, where toughness is one of the most prized commodities a player can possess, telling Kapilovic he was tired was the last thing Carrick wanted to do.
"I was like, 'I can't come out. There's no way,' " said Carrick, a sixth-year senior guard, "because then (Kapilovic) is going to think that I can't do it."
Kapilovic wouldn't have it. After the Spartans finished their first practice, he walked up to Carrick and reiterated his stance.
"He's like, 'Hey, like I told you before, if you're ever feeling a certain way, let me know. I need to take care of you this year,' " Carrick said. "So from that day moving on, he's had a preset plan of what reps I need to take, what reps I need off."
At times, that calls for Carrick to take every snap during a specific period; during others, he might have only one or two reps.
It's forward thinking on the Spartans' part.
"With Coach Kap (Kapilovic), his big thing is making sure that I'm healthy, I'm good to go," Carrick said, "so when I come out of this fall camp, I'm ready for Week 1 and the rest of the season."
So far, so good.
"His fourth practice was better than his first practice, so that's what you want to see," Kapilovic said. "If he just keeps that progression, I think he'll be good."
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Though he's been around the program as long as anyone — he joined MSU in 2017, redshirting that fall — Carrick wants to make up for lost time. Namely, last year, when the injury robbed him of enjoying the latter part of the Spartans' 11-2 season. He played in the team's first seven games before injuring his leg in a win over Indiana. Carrick didn't suit up the rest of the season.
No one ever wants to suffer an injury, of course. But the timing of Carrick's — the present (MSU was about to improve to 7-0), and the future (Michigan on deck two weeks later, a Peach Bowl victory at the end) — made it all the more difficult to stomach.
"It was really tough, because obviously I wanted to be out on the field competing with all my brothers who were getting the job done for us. So that part of it was really hard," he said. "But I was really happy how the team pulled together and was able to still be successful."
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The injury also sidelined Carrick for the entirety of spring practice.
Initially, doctors told Carrick he wouldn't be cleared to return until after preseason camp began. But he was well ahead of schedule, crediting athletic trainer Lionel Rice for "working with me every single day."
By late June, Carrick said he felt good enough to put on pads again. He still needed medical clearance, though. Sitting down with his doctor, Carrick relayed everything he was able to do: run, change direction and other techniques necessary for playing in the trenches.
Doctors gave him the go ahead just before the Spartans reported for camp.
"It's been a really long recovery, but I'm really excited for what this year is going to bring for me," he said, "and I feel like I can play my best football this year."
It just will take time.
"I feel like I've done a really good job of getting to the point where there's really not as much rust as what was anticipated," he said. "I feel like I'm doing a really good job of fitting in with the O-line."
Contact Ryan Black at rblack@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.