STARKVILLE — Matt Balis was looking for some wood to knock on, though it might not have been a great idea with his knuckles sporting an unusual red tinge.
The intense Mississippi State strength coach — with those red marks probably caused by a few rounds with a punching bag, spokesman Joe Galbraith joked — was asked if any players had fallen to injury or had been severely limited this summer during voluntary workouts.
None, he said. “Knock on wood,” said Balis, “we’re going to be good.”
There are those “weak links,” however. Tight end Marcus Green is still recovering from his knee injury last season, but has participated in workouts and has been paired with incoming freshmen as he gets back up to speed in time to play this fall.
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One thing you notice while talking to Balis is that he’s not keen on sharing many details about his workouts. For example, you won’t hear about the 40-yard dash times of Vick Ballard or LaDarius Perkins. When asked who had stood out in his unorthodox workouts this summer, Balis deviated from the subject and talked about leadership. Center Quentin Saulsberry, quarterback Chris Relf and safety Charles Mitchell, he said, were impressive.
What about the freshmen?
“Well, you never know because they haven’t put pads on yet,” he said. “But I really like how this freshman class works.”
He likes defensive lineman Preston Smith, receiver Kendrick Market, and defensive backs Taveze Calhoun, Zach Jackson and Dee Arrington.
The importance of Balis’ job has skyrocketed in recent years. Nearly every player these days attends summer workouts. Rarely does a straggler come into camp in August without going through two months of rigorous training, a scene at most campus in the Southeastern Conference.
“I can remember when freshmen were getting in in August,” Balis said. “I remember at Utah half those freshmen weren’t even at practice, they were in the ‘pit’ with us because they couldn’t do anything. I mean, it just blows me away.”
To keep players on the right path, MSU sends signees a packet filled with day-to-day activities to get their bodies ready for workouts at MSU. Those are mailed out “the day after” they sign.
“You know, I can tell who the guys are that took the packet and threw it on the couch or it was on the coffee table for three months,” Balis said. “You can tell who the guys are that read it. We give them a DVD and everything is on that as well. But the thing is, in high school so many guys don’t have to train as hard because they’re so much more talented. But if they knew how much better they would be — being stronger and in better shape — they’d come here so much more ready. Even your hardest working guys in high school can’t match the intensity of the college setting and the SEC. I mean, it’s the highest level. You just can’t match it.”
Soon, Balis will take off his “head coach” cap and hand it back to Dan Mullen. Practices start Aug. 4, and that’s when we’ll start to see the results of the summer workouts.
Below you’ll find a snippet of Balis’ sitdown interview with a few local reporters, including my question about how this team compares from Year 1 to Year 3 in Balis’ workouts at MSU.
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