Michigan State University Athletics
Kapilovic Expects Increased Competition to Fuel Improved Offensive Line Play in 2021
4/8/2021 1:18:00 PM | Football
Michigan State returns 15 players on the offensive line in 2021, including 10 letterwinners and eight players with multiple games of starting experience. Chris Kapilovic, who was promoted to assistant head coach in January, enters his second year mentoring the offensive line for the Spartans and also coordinates the run game.
"The big word is competition, we definitely have some competition in our room, which is huge for growth and success, and that's something that I didn't feel like we had that across the board in the fall," said Kapilovic. "I've told them this, at the start of spring ball in my mind, through our workouts, I see multiple guys that can start at each position, so there's nobody coming out here in this practice that has the job won. And it's critical that they understand that, because you'd like to think every person, every player, is going to just give everything they got every day, but it's human nature to get complacent at times. But when you know that if there's a guy behind you that can take your job if you don't have a good day, that's going to motivate you even more. And that's really what we're trying to get to here."
Three veterans elected to return for a sixth season in 2021, including center Matt Allen, left tackle AJ Arcuri and guard Luke Campbell.
Allen, who has started 17 times in his career at center, played in just the season-opening game vs. Rutgers in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury, while Campbell didn't get to play at all due to an injury. Campbell has started 26 career games at a multitude of positions during his time in East Lansing, including 12 at right tackle, nine at left guard, four at right guard and one at left tackle.
Arcuri started all seven games at left tackle and has 12 starts overall at the position in his career.
"I'm really happy to have (AJ) back," said Kapilovic. "I really feel like he may have improved the most of anybody last season, from where he was when we started fall camp to where we finished the season. He's still got a lot of work and he knows that, but he works his tail off. He's a great kid, he's humble, he works. I really feel like he's made some strides and improved, and I'm hoping that continues throughout the spring and summer."
Right tackle Kevin Jarvis, who is entering his fifth season with the program, also provides a veteran presence for the Spartans on the offensive line. Jarvis started 17 games at right guard his first two seasons in 2017-18 before shifting to left tackle for three starts in 2019, but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3 against Arizona State and took a redshirt year. He returned to the field in 2020 by starting all seven games at right tackle and enters 2021 with 27 career games to his credit. Kapilovic said he likes the versatility that Jarvis brings to the group, knowing he can play both guard and tackle.
The Spartans added transfer Jarrett Horst, who started 20 games at left tackle the past two seasons at Arkansas State, at midyear and he will be participating in spring practice. Horst was a third-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2019 after starting all 13 games for the Red Wolves and was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List entering the 2020 season, where he started seven games. A four-year letterwinner at Middleton High School in Middletown, Wisconsin, Horst played his true freshman season at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa.
"Jarrett's O-line coach at Arkansas State is someone I worked with before," remarked Kapilovic, "so once he went into a portal, it was nice to have inside knowledge on what he's about. But you saw that on film pretty quickly, what he's about. And finding those kinds of guys and those tackles, it's a premium, and there's a reason why he was in the portal, and he was offered by Texas immediately, and then you had Florida State and people like that, everybody jumping in there because those guys are hard to find. And he played at a high level at Arkansas State; he plays with an edge. He finishes blocks, which you love to see, because not all O-linemen play that way naturally."
Redshirt sophomores Spencer Brown and Dan VanOpstall provide depth for the Spartans at tackle. Freshman Justin Stevens is also back this spring after opting out of the fall.
Along the interior, junior J.D. Duplain started the last five games of the season at left guard, which matched his true freshman season in 2019, where he also started the last five games of the year at the same position. Redshirt senior Blake Bueter also has multiple years of starting experience on the inside, both at center and right and left guard.
"(Blake) and J.D. both started games (last year)," said Kapilovic. "Bueter got hurt after game two and really didn't get back to himself throughout the rest of the season. So now you have guys who have started games and competing there."
At right guard, Matt Carrick (R-Sr.) started all seven games at the position in 2020 and has 18 starts overall. Redshirt junior James Ohonba also saw time at guard to earn his first letter last season, while two-year letterwinner Jacob Isaia also has experience on the interior of the line.
"James also progressed (last year) and got a little playing time, which is good. He got a chance to be out there," said Kapilovic. "So now he's out there running with the twos and competing for a starting job and again, another guy with the physical tools that you want, he's really transformed his body from what he was when he got here to where he is now. And I really think if James just finds a way to continue to improve that he's a guy that can help us at some point this year and in his career. So he's one that I'm keeping an eye on, pushing daily, because I do see some things in him that I think he can help us."
Junior Nick Samac started the last six games of the season at center for the Spartans with Allen out due to an injury. Samac earned his first letter in 2019 after playing in seven games, including four starting assignments, as a true freshman.
"You look at the instance of Allen starting center the first game, he hurt his foot, missed the season, and Samac started the rest of the season," said Kapilovic. "So now that they're both there, you go, there's great competition, you got two returning guys that have started, they both want to own that job."
The Spartans signed four players to National Letters of Intent in December. Ethan Boyd is a midyear enrollee and will practice in the spring at tackle, while junior college transfer Brandon Baldwin will join freshmen Geno VanDemark and Kevin Wigenton in the fall.
"I want it to happen this season," said Kapilovic in reference to how soon he wants the offensive line to show marked improvement from last season. "There's not a day in my life that I feel like it's okay because we got time to get these guys better; it's got to happen now. I coach with a sense of urgency and I want our guys to train that way.
"If you took a blueprint of a freshman coming in, very few freshman O-lineman can play as freshmen. Occasionally it happens. When you get to a point where you have some depth, you can bring a kid in and redshirt them, and then he plays as a redshirt freshman and then he's a starter for three years, that would be a successful journey to me for an offensive lineman. But the reason you bring in a transfer, you're trying to make sure we're ready to go this fall, and I feel like with the guys that are coming back, in some cases who we have coming in, that we should be at a much higher level than we were last year. So my timeframe is today. We got to get it done, we got to get better tomorrow at practice, and go from there."
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SPARTAN OFFENSIVE LINE CAPSULE
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Players returning (15):
C Matt Allen (3L, Gr.-6, 6-3, 310, 1 game/1 start at C)
LT AJ Arcuri (3L, Gr.-6, 6-7, 300, 7 games/7 starts at LT)
OT Spencer Brown (R-So., 6-6, 310, 1 game)
OG Blake Bueter (3L, R-Jr., 6-4, 315, 5 games/2 starts at LG)
OL Luke Campbell (3L, Gr.-6, 6-5, 285, Did not play in 2020)
RG Matt Carrick (3L, R-Sr., 6-5, 325, 7 games/7 starts at RG)
LG J.D. Duplain (2L, Jr., 6-4, 310, 7 games/5 starts at LG)
OL Dallas Fincher (R-Fr., 6-4, 285)
OG Jacob Isaia (2L, R-Jr., 6-3, 305, 5 games)
OG Kevin Jarvis (3L, R-Sr., 6-6, 320, 7 games/7 starts at RT)
OL Damon Kaylor (R-So., 6-5, 315)
OG James Ohonba (R-Jr., 6-4, 310, 7 games)
C Nick Samac (2L, Jr., 6-4, 300, 7 games/6 starts at C)
OL Justin Stevens (R-Fr., 6-6, 295)
OT Dan VanOpstall (1L, R-So., 6-6, 300, 5 games)
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Newcomers/Transfers (2):
Ethan Boyd (Fr., 6-7, 315) ^
Jarrett Horst (Jr., 6-6, 305, 7 games/7 starts at LT at Arkansas State in 2020)
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Incoming players for fall 2021 (3):
Brandon Baldwin (Fr., 6-7, 315, Enrolled but did not play at Independence CC in 2020 due to COVID-19)
Geno VanDeMark (Fr., 6-6, 315)
Kevin Wigenton (Fr., 6-5, 295)
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Letterwinners lost (1):
OT Jack Henrichs (1L, 7 games)
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^ early enrollee
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"The big word is competition, we definitely have some competition in our room, which is huge for growth and success, and that's something that I didn't feel like we had that across the board in the fall," said Kapilovic. "I've told them this, at the start of spring ball in my mind, through our workouts, I see multiple guys that can start at each position, so there's nobody coming out here in this practice that has the job won. And it's critical that they understand that, because you'd like to think every person, every player, is going to just give everything they got every day, but it's human nature to get complacent at times. But when you know that if there's a guy behind you that can take your job if you don't have a good day, that's going to motivate you even more. And that's really what we're trying to get to here."
Three veterans elected to return for a sixth season in 2021, including center Matt Allen, left tackle AJ Arcuri and guard Luke Campbell.
Allen, who has started 17 times in his career at center, played in just the season-opening game vs. Rutgers in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury, while Campbell didn't get to play at all due to an injury. Campbell has started 26 career games at a multitude of positions during his time in East Lansing, including 12 at right tackle, nine at left guard, four at right guard and one at left tackle.
Arcuri started all seven games at left tackle and has 12 starts overall at the position in his career.
"I'm really happy to have (AJ) back," said Kapilovic. "I really feel like he may have improved the most of anybody last season, from where he was when we started fall camp to where we finished the season. He's still got a lot of work and he knows that, but he works his tail off. He's a great kid, he's humble, he works. I really feel like he's made some strides and improved, and I'm hoping that continues throughout the spring and summer."
Right tackle Kevin Jarvis, who is entering his fifth season with the program, also provides a veteran presence for the Spartans on the offensive line. Jarvis started 17 games at right guard his first two seasons in 2017-18 before shifting to left tackle for three starts in 2019, but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3 against Arizona State and took a redshirt year. He returned to the field in 2020 by starting all seven games at right tackle and enters 2021 with 27 career games to his credit. Kapilovic said he likes the versatility that Jarvis brings to the group, knowing he can play both guard and tackle.
The Spartans added transfer Jarrett Horst, who started 20 games at left tackle the past two seasons at Arkansas State, at midyear and he will be participating in spring practice. Horst was a third-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2019 after starting all 13 games for the Red Wolves and was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List entering the 2020 season, where he started seven games. A four-year letterwinner at Middleton High School in Middletown, Wisconsin, Horst played his true freshman season at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa.
"Jarrett's O-line coach at Arkansas State is someone I worked with before," remarked Kapilovic, "so once he went into a portal, it was nice to have inside knowledge on what he's about. But you saw that on film pretty quickly, what he's about. And finding those kinds of guys and those tackles, it's a premium, and there's a reason why he was in the portal, and he was offered by Texas immediately, and then you had Florida State and people like that, everybody jumping in there because those guys are hard to find. And he played at a high level at Arkansas State; he plays with an edge. He finishes blocks, which you love to see, because not all O-linemen play that way naturally."
Redshirt sophomores Spencer Brown and Dan VanOpstall provide depth for the Spartans at tackle. Freshman Justin Stevens is also back this spring after opting out of the fall.
Along the interior, junior J.D. Duplain started the last five games of the season at left guard, which matched his true freshman season in 2019, where he also started the last five games of the year at the same position. Redshirt senior Blake Bueter also has multiple years of starting experience on the inside, both at center and right and left guard.
"(Blake) and J.D. both started games (last year)," said Kapilovic. "Bueter got hurt after game two and really didn't get back to himself throughout the rest of the season. So now you have guys who have started games and competing there."
At right guard, Matt Carrick (R-Sr.) started all seven games at the position in 2020 and has 18 starts overall. Redshirt junior James Ohonba also saw time at guard to earn his first letter last season, while two-year letterwinner Jacob Isaia also has experience on the interior of the line.
"James also progressed (last year) and got a little playing time, which is good. He got a chance to be out there," said Kapilovic. "So now he's out there running with the twos and competing for a starting job and again, another guy with the physical tools that you want, he's really transformed his body from what he was when he got here to where he is now. And I really think if James just finds a way to continue to improve that he's a guy that can help us at some point this year and in his career. So he's one that I'm keeping an eye on, pushing daily, because I do see some things in him that I think he can help us."
Junior Nick Samac started the last six games of the season at center for the Spartans with Allen out due to an injury. Samac earned his first letter in 2019 after playing in seven games, including four starting assignments, as a true freshman.
"You look at the instance of Allen starting center the first game, he hurt his foot, missed the season, and Samac started the rest of the season," said Kapilovic. "So now that they're both there, you go, there's great competition, you got two returning guys that have started, they both want to own that job."
The Spartans signed four players to National Letters of Intent in December. Ethan Boyd is a midyear enrollee and will practice in the spring at tackle, while junior college transfer Brandon Baldwin will join freshmen Geno VanDemark and Kevin Wigenton in the fall.
"I want it to happen this season," said Kapilovic in reference to how soon he wants the offensive line to show marked improvement from last season. "There's not a day in my life that I feel like it's okay because we got time to get these guys better; it's got to happen now. I coach with a sense of urgency and I want our guys to train that way.
"If you took a blueprint of a freshman coming in, very few freshman O-lineman can play as freshmen. Occasionally it happens. When you get to a point where you have some depth, you can bring a kid in and redshirt them, and then he plays as a redshirt freshman and then he's a starter for three years, that would be a successful journey to me for an offensive lineman. But the reason you bring in a transfer, you're trying to make sure we're ready to go this fall, and I feel like with the guys that are coming back, in some cases who we have coming in, that we should be at a much higher level than we were last year. So my timeframe is today. We got to get it done, we got to get better tomorrow at practice, and go from there."
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SPARTAN OFFENSIVE LINE CAPSULE
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Players returning (15):
C Matt Allen (3L, Gr.-6, 6-3, 310, 1 game/1 start at C)
LT AJ Arcuri (3L, Gr.-6, 6-7, 300, 7 games/7 starts at LT)
OT Spencer Brown (R-So., 6-6, 310, 1 game)
OG Blake Bueter (3L, R-Jr., 6-4, 315, 5 games/2 starts at LG)
OL Luke Campbell (3L, Gr.-6, 6-5, 285, Did not play in 2020)
RG Matt Carrick (3L, R-Sr., 6-5, 325, 7 games/7 starts at RG)
LG J.D. Duplain (2L, Jr., 6-4, 310, 7 games/5 starts at LG)
OL Dallas Fincher (R-Fr., 6-4, 285)
OG Jacob Isaia (2L, R-Jr., 6-3, 305, 5 games)
OG Kevin Jarvis (3L, R-Sr., 6-6, 320, 7 games/7 starts at RT)
OL Damon Kaylor (R-So., 6-5, 315)
OG James Ohonba (R-Jr., 6-4, 310, 7 games)
C Nick Samac (2L, Jr., 6-4, 300, 7 games/6 starts at C)
OL Justin Stevens (R-Fr., 6-6, 295)
OT Dan VanOpstall (1L, R-So., 6-6, 300, 5 games)
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Newcomers/Transfers (2):
Ethan Boyd (Fr., 6-7, 315) ^
Jarrett Horst (Jr., 6-6, 305, 7 games/7 starts at LT at Arkansas State in 2020)
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Incoming players for fall 2021 (3):
Brandon Baldwin (Fr., 6-7, 315, Enrolled but did not play at Independence CC in 2020 due to COVID-19)
Geno VanDeMark (Fr., 6-6, 315)
Kevin Wigenton (Fr., 6-5, 295)
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Letterwinners lost (1):
OT Jack Henrichs (1L, 7 games)
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^ early enrollee
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