Michigan State’s Darius Snow battling to return from injury; Hank Pepper is back
Indianapolis, Ind. – There was a time when Darius Snow’s career in football was in serious jeopardy. And it still is, due to a lower body injury he sustained in the opening game of Michigan State’s 2022 season.
But the junior linebacker has not relented on his goal of returning to the field for Michigan State. It might not happen this year, but head coach Mel Tucker said on Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days that he is not closing the door on the possibility.
“Darius had a long-term rehab,” said Tucker, who has not gone into specifics on the nature of Snow’s injury. “He had a significant injury that he has been battling.”
Snow started at inside linebacker for the season opener against Western Michigan last year, and had the look of a blossoming star.
When he went down with the injury, the same day that fifth-year senior safety Xavier Henderson was lost for half of the season to an injury, the Spartans lost the heart of its defense, and a good portion of its brainpower.
Michigan State will begin practice on Aug. 4 with Cal Haladay and Jacoby Windmon slated as the starting inside linebackers, with Aaron Brulé available as a swing linebacker and Ma’a Gaoteote, and true freshman Jordan Hall, also in the picture.
Tucker indicated that Snow is hoping to re-enter the fray at some point, and the fourth-year head coach would like to have him back.
“He’s a sharp kid,” Tucker said. “He is very determined. He loves football and he has been battling hard to get back, and it’s going to take awhile but hopefully we will get a chance to see him do more in fall camp and then we will assess him at that point.”
The day Snow went down with the injury, Tucker said publicly that he told him not to let anyone tell him that he can’t do something. Many observers took that to mean that Tucker advised Snow not to listen to people who might say he had no chance to return.
The Michigan State linebacker has embarked on a return for nearly 10 months, with more work ahead of him.
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Tucker said he doesn’t have an expectation for his availability at this point.
“We have to wait until camp starts to see where he is,” Tucker said. “With injuries, sometimes they are day-to-day and sometimes guys come back sooner than you expect and sometimes it takes a little longer. I know this: If anyone can make it back, it’s him.”
As for positive news on the health front, Tucker said long snapper Hank Pepper is back to full health. Pepper (6-2, 210, Jr., Chandler, Ariz.) served as Michigan State’s long snapper as a true freshman in 2021, and started five games last year before going down with an undisclosed illness.
Michigan State encountered severe problems at the long snapping problem without Pepper, leading directly to major problems against Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
“You don’t notice a long snapper until you don’t have one,” Tucker said.
But that’s not going to be the case for Michigan State at the outset of the 2023 season.
“We got Hank back,” Tucker said. “Hank has battled back and he is healthy now. He is a good player. We are going to have a competition for his back-up.
“We had a kid in here that came here to compete with Hank. And after spring ball, he decided to hit the portal.”
That was Mason Arnold, who transferred to Michigan State from Ohio State for the spring semester. Arnold has since moved on to Florida State.
Junior college transfer Drew Wilson, from Long Beach Community College, committed to Michigan State earlier this summer and will compete for second-string status and serve as a more prepared back-up than Michigan State had last year.
“We wanted to make sure we have at least two good options at each position,” Tucker said.
