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Published Mar 26, 2021
Kapilovic demanding big improvement on o-line in '21
Paul Konyndyk  •  Spartans Illustrated
Associate Editor

Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic expects his position group to take a significant step forward in 2021, and increased competition is a big reason why.

“I feel like with the guys that are coming back and some pieces that we have coming in, we should be at a much higher level than we were last year,” Kapilovic said. “My time frame is today, we’ve got to get it done. We’ve got to get better tomorrow in practice, and go from there.”

The Spartans have more experience in the o-line room now than they did a year ago, and they have also had an influx of talent with the addition of Arkansas State transfer Jarrett Horst (6-7, 310) and early-enrollee freshman Ethan Boyd (6-7, 315).

“The big word is competition and we definitely have some competition in our room, which is huge for growth and success,” Kapilovic said. “That is something that I didn’t feel like we had across the board in the fall. I told my guys throughout workouts in spring ball that I see multiple guys that can start at every position, so there is nobody that is coming out here in practice that has the job won.

“It is critical that they understand that because you’d like to think that every player at every position is going to give everything that they’ve got every day, but it is human nature to get complacent at times. When you’ve got a guy behind you that could take your job, if you don’t have a good day that is going to motivate you even more.”

As a coach, Kapilovic also feels a sense of urgency to get Michigan State’s offensive line playing at the level he believes they’re capable of.

“I want it to happen now, I want it to happen this season,” Kapilovic said. “There’s not a day in my life that I feel like its okay because we’ve got time to get these guys better. It’s got to happen now, so I coach with as sense of urgency and I want our guys to train that way.”

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HORST FITS THE PART AT TACKLE

Kapilovic is excited about the addition of Horst.

Horst is a natural offensive tackle, and finding a natural tackle isn’t easy, which is way so many other Power Five programs coveted the Arkansas State transfer when he entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“Finding those kind of guys, and those tackles, it’s a premium,” Kapilovic said. “He was in the portal and was offered by Texas immediately, and then you had Oklahoma and Florida State and people like that, everybody jumping in there because those guys are hard to find.”

Horst gives Michigan State the frame and athleticism the Spartans are looking for at tackle, as well as tough to find physicality.

“He played at a high level at Arkansas State and he plays with an edge,” Kapilovic said. ‘He finishes blocks, which you love to see because not all o-linemen play that way naturally. He has two years available, and possibly three years, so those were all pluses for him to come in here, compete for a job and add depth.”

Kapilovic liked what he saw from Horst on film during the recruiting process, and he had good intel on the transfer from contacts on the Arkansas State coaching staff.

“His o-line coach at Arkansas State is somebody I had worked with before, so once he went into the portal, it was nice to have inside knowledge,” Kapilovic said, “but you saw that on film pretty quickly what he was about.”

Kapilovic was also familiar with Horst through Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson with whom he worked for several years at Southern Miss and then North Carolina.

“Sometimes you recruit these transfers and it happens so fast, that you don’t really know how much you know about them,” Kapilovic said. “I was obviously able to talk to some people and feel like I could trust them.”

FINDING RIGHT FIT FOR JARVIS

With the addition of Horst, Michigan State could potentially move Kevin Jarvis (6-6, 320) back to his natural position of guard, where he began his Spartan career and earned all-Big Ten recognition as a true freshman in 2017.

“There is definitely a possibility of that,” said Kapilovic, when asked about moving Jarvis to guard. “Really, you are trying to find the five best guys and then plug them in where you can. Obviously, there are some guys that can’t play tackle because of their dimensions, but there are definitely tackles that can move into guard and that is definitely a possibility. If we’ve got three tackles that are three of best five and we need to move one inside, we can definitely do that.”

STILL RISING 

Senior AJ Arcuri (6-7, 300) has battled injuries throughout his career as a left tackle. Healthy for an entire season in 2020, however, Arcuri took significant steps toward becoming the type of player that Kapilovic believes he can be with practice and continued good health.

“I am really happy to have him back, and feel like he may have improved as much as anybody last season from where he was in fall camp to where we finished the season,” Kapilovic said. “He’s still got a lot of work and he knows it, but he works his tail off. He’s a big kid, he works, and when he walks off the bus that’s what you want him to look like.”

Arcuri is far from a finished product.

“He just has to continue to progress in the pass protection part of the game, and the physicality in the run game,” Kapilovic said. “In the o-line world you can throw on NFL tape and those guys are still trying to figure it out, you can still get better at technique, a constant striving for perfection.”

Arcuri benefited from winter conditioning.

“He wants to get his whole game amped up,” Kapilovic said. “I really feel like he has made some strides and improved and I am hoping that continues throughout the spring and summer.”

THE COMPETITORS

Michigan State has quality competition at every position including tackle where Arcuri, Jarvis, and Horst are competing with rising youngsters like Spencer Brown (6-6, 310), who flashed good potential during training camp last fall.

“You bring a guy like Jarrett Horst, it adds competition at tackle,” Kapilovic said, “but I do feel like Spencer Brown is improving, which is very important for us at tackle.”

At guard several players have starting experience including JD Duplain (6-4, 310), Blake Bueter (6-4, 300), and Matt Carrick (6-5, 325).

“You’ve got guys like Bueter and JD who have both started games,” Kapilovic said. “Bueter go hurt in Game two and really didn’t get back to himself throughout the season, but now you’ve got guys that are back and competing there. Then you’ve got a guy like Matt Carrick and a guy like Jarvis who could play guard or tackle and now you’ve got competition both plays.”

Guard James Ohonba (6-4, 310) is also pushing for playing time behind some of the more experienced players at his position.

“James also progressed, got some playing time which was good,” Kapilovic said. “He’s out there with the two’s and competing for a starting job. He is another guy with the physical tools that you want. He has transformed his body from when he got here to where he is now and I really think if he finds a way to continue to improve he can find a way to help us this year and in his career.”

At center, Matt Allen (6-3, 310) and Nick Samac (6-4, 300) are scrapping for a starting job.

“Allen is are starting center the first game, and he hurts his foot and missed the season,” Kapilovic said. “Nick Samac starts the rest of the season. Now, they are both back, and there’s great competition between returning guys that have started and both want to own that job.”

ALWAYS BUILDING

One of Michigan State’s most effective recruiters during Tucker’s tenure, Kapilovic is committed to building a championship level offensive line, and believes his vision is shared by his boss.

“We are definitely on the same page and we know that you need every position, but you’ve got to have those guys up front. It starts in the trenches on both sides of the ball. We’ve got a blueprint that we both agree with. We like to have big guys. We like to have guys that are athletic. It’s good when you are working with somebody you see eye to eye with. When we are recruiting guys and evaluating them for the most part we are on the same page. It helps that he understands too, and isn’t just a head coach that is recruiting quarterbacks. He’s in there recruiting those o-linemen and those families. Those kids and parents can tell that it is important to him. We’ve got a lot to sell at Michigan State, and I can’t wait to get those kids on campus.”

HEAD START

Ethan Boyd, a true freshman, isn’t ready to push for a spot in the two-deep as a mid-year enrollee, but he is making progress and getting a head start in his transition to college football.

“My hope for him at the end of spring that he understands our offense and understands the techniques I want,” Kapilovic said. “Then he can take what he’s learned in the spring, improve through the summer, and laugh at all the other freshmen that come in next summer and try and figure it out.”

Boyd weighed 265 pounds when Michigan State offered him a scholarship shortly after Mel Tucker was hired and the campus shut down because of COVID-19.

“He came in here on the 12th, and that afternoon we shut everything down,” Kapilovic said. “Our concern at that time was that we saw this long, thin frame that was pretty athletic. I watched his basketball tape, and I was like, can this guy carry the weight, and does he have a big enough frame? When he came in he was like 263 and I was like, okay we can build that up. He was here for a month, and he was 328, so putting the weight on has not been an issue. In fact, we’re pulling him back a little bit.”

Kapilovic believes that Boyd has a bright future as a tackle.

“He’s a great kid, and he wants to be a great player,” Kapilovic said. “Unbelievable attitude and he’s got good feet and he can bend. Sometimes he looks as awkward as he can be because he’s trying to learn what I want, but it is always amazing how he gets there. As a staff, we are really excited about what he’s going to become. He’s a big, long, human. When you get tackles that are 6-7, 325, even though they aren’t where you want them to be technically, its hard for people to run around them or through them.”

GOT HIS DEGREE

Kapilovic does not hold any ill-will toward Jordan Reid for his decision to retire from football rather than return for his senior season in 2021 after sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

“Jordan was set to come back and then he graduated, and as time went on he felt in his mind that it was time for him to get in the work force and start his career,” Kapilovic. “I guess the burning desire to play in the NFL that some kids have, wasn’t the same for him, you know with taking care of his body and other different things. I’ve got to respect that. We would have loved to have had him and had a chance to work with him, but I respect the decision he made. Your first goal when you come to college is to get your degree, and he did that. I wish him the best, and hope that he’ll stay in touch with us.”

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