Michigan State football's Nick Samac back, front and center, for offensive line

EAST LANSING — Nick Samac trotted out with his helmet and wearing his gear, then began to work on his own as Michigan State football practice amped up on the opposite field.

Mel Tucker said during the first week of preseason camp that the Spartans’ veteran starting center was sitting out. He was nowhere to be found during the Big Ten Network’s inside look at practice that aired Tuesday.

But the fifth-year senior jogged out Wednesday during the 15-minute open portion of practice, then met with reporters afterward.

How much time he spent working with the offensive line Wednesday and what specifically he is dealing remain unknown, other than Samac admitting to “a little upper body thing” he’s been dealing with during the offseason. However, he plans to be ready when the Spartans kick off the season Sept. 1 against Central Michigan.

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“I'm doing good, man, feeling good,” said Samac, who opted to return to MSU for his extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA for playing during the 2020 COVID season. “I'm getting back ready. …Taking some time (off) definitely helps recover the body. Fall camp is an extensive thing, so it definitely helps to take some time.”

Tucker on Monday said keeping his players healthy for the games was a priority — “We gotta get the horses to the race, and we gotta keep them out there.” Perhaps none is as important as the 6-foot-4, 305-pound plow horse in the middle post of the offensive line, particularly as the Spartans prepare to break in a new quarterback this season. Samac started all 12 games last season at center, playing an offensive-high 803 snaps, and received 22 starts over his 36-game MSU career that began as a true freshman under Mark Dantonio in 2019.

“Yeah, of course, I'm a horse. I'd like to think (Tucker) wants me for the race,” Samac said with a chuckle. “I'm definitely just trying to get my body back where it needs to be and be in the best condition possible and ready to basically to go to war this year. Because that's what's gonna be.”

Still, he said sitting out MSU’s first scrimmage Saturday was difficult.

“Of course, fall camp is hard. But I'm not gonna lie, not being in the first scrimmage, part of that stings a little bit,” he said. “It's my fifth year, I'm here to compete and win and hit. I love hitting. If you see my film, I love getting in open space and just knocking people over. So I'm not really like, aww, this is a great thing. Of course it helps the body, but I want to hit people and be out there.”

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Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said he anticipates Samac being ready for when the season to begin as well. In case he’s not, though, the Spartans have been splitting reps with a number of players. Junior Dallas Fincher mainly has been working with the first-team offensive line, with sophomore Kevin Wigenton II also taking snaps along with starting left guard J.D. Duplain and projected starting right guard Geno VanDeMark behind Fincher.

“It's good for us, because we're trying to figure out, besides Samac, who's the next best center and what combinations is best for us …,” Kapilovic said. “I learned a lesson my first year at North Carolina. I lost three centers in one week. And I always thought four centers was enough, that I'd be in good shape. So after that, I've had eight to 10 kids snapping year-round every year.”

While Samac has been sitting, the Mentor, Ohio, native has redirected his purpose to being a mentor for the Spartans taking snaps in his place.

“It's not frustration. It's more of me working on my mental part of the game, taking mental reps, and also my leadership,” he said. “Helping the younger guys staying locked in – not getting complacent where I'm at, but helping those guys who are gonna be out there with me battling every single day.”

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Still, Kapilovic believes MSU’s offensive line is “much stronger” with Samac at center and Duplain at left guard.

“It's a double-edged sword, right? You're getting other guys experience, which will help you down the road, but you're not getting those five guys that you think are going to be the five guys out there playing together,” Kapilovic said. “And this is one position where all five of those guys have to be in sync. So the more reps you can get with those five guys together, the better opportunity you have to be able to communicate better and play better.”

Other injuries?

The reason for Tucker’s frustration Monday about injuries was on display during the BTN special.

About a dozen non-quarterbacks — including five defensive backs — wore red/maroon jerseys of varying opacity , during the televised snippets of Tuesday’s practice. That typically symbolizes injured players who are anywhere from dinged up to battling bigger issues.

Duplain was one of those men in red, though Wednesday he went through drills wearing his practice green jersey during the open 15 minutes of practice. Other key players wearing red or in shorts during the Big Ten peek into Tuesday’s fully-padded contact practice included tight end Maliq Carr, cornerback Charles Brantley, safety Jaden Mangham, defensive back Armorion Smith, defensive end Ken Talley and defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren.

An important caveat: because it is preseason camp, coaches often err on the side of caution and hold guys out or limit them so they will be ready to play in games, as Tucker said. And some guys will shuttle in and out of drills based upon what may be ailing them, though MSU’s practices are closed to the public and media.

The Spartans still have the rest of this week, Saturday’s second scrimmage and next week’s practices to wrap up preseason work. They likely will start advance game prep for CMU sometime late next week.

Another game time?

Brett McMurphy of Action Sports on Tuesday reported that MSU’s first road game of the season, at Iowa on Sept. 30, is expected to be a 3:30 p.m. kickoff that will only air on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. However, much like McMurphy’s previous reporting on the Spartans’ game against Michigan on Oct. 21 potentially being the rivalry’s first night game in East Lansing, that is subject to change.

The league’s other TV partners, Fox and CBS, can still change the broadcast platform and kickoff times based upon the Big Ten’s “flex scheduling” model that starts this season. The Big Ten agreed to its new seven-year, $7 billion media rights deal with the three networks last year.

MSU's first three games are the 7 p.m. Friday opener against the Chippewas (FS1); a 3:30 p.m. home start Sept. 9 against Richmond (BTN) and a 5 p.m. home kickoff against Washington (Peacock, streaming-only). The Spartans’ homecoming game against Maryland (3:30 p.m. Sept. 23) and road game at Rutgers (noon Oct. 14) have kickoff times but no broadcast information yet.

NBC also will air two other MSU games — Nov. 11 at Ohio State and Friday, Nov. 24 against Penn State in Detroit, both 7:30 p.m. kickoffs. The remaining kickoff and TV times officially remain TBD.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.

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For openers: Chippewas

Matchup: Michigan State (5-7 in 2022) vs. Central Michigan (4-8 in 2022), season opener.

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Sept. 1; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.

TV/radio: FS1; WJR-AM (760).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football's Nick Samac ready to be 'horse' for O-line