*Media scrum w/ MSU guard Kristian Phillips

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jack Kaplin here with my good friend Matt Sloan a
graph of ochemists.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Big summer here, Matt.

Speaker 3 (00:05):
That's right, Jack.

Speaker 4 (00:05):
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Speaker 2 (00:24):
Zero percent. Can't get much lower than that.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
That's exactly right, Papacy Matt in the gang here on
West Grand River, Omiz.

Speaker 5 (00:30):
They're making friends to kind of be that separation guy
to get the starting.

Speaker 6 (00:36):
Job, and the kind of when it happened.

Speaker 5 (00:38):
I guess the frustration point of having put in all
that work to get to that point.

Speaker 7 (00:44):
Well right now, as of right now, there's no starters.
So you know, as of right now is just you know,
we just rotate. You know, That's how it really is,
how has been since can't start it. But you know,
my mentality going into that is just you know, just
going there like there are too and really that's you know,
it's just I'm just having my head down, working on
my technique, working all my fundamentals because I've been out

(01:05):
for a long time, so I'm just working all my fundamentals,
trying to get my feedback right, just trying to, you know,
put my foot in the water and swim.

Speaker 5 (01:12):
What last year though, Like in camp last year, what
did you do? You feel like you did that made
them say you're the g out of here.

Speaker 7 (01:22):
I think, like I said, I'm bringing back to my
mentality and that and passion. I have passion for the game,
and I always had passion for the game, and that's.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Just that that's who I am.

Speaker 7 (01:29):
So I feel like that right there made them realize, like, okay,
like we can we can use that, we can use that.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
On that on the on the office of line.

Speaker 6 (01:37):
When you have an.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Injury like yours, what's harder the physical roadback or dealing
with the psychological?

Speaker 7 (01:42):
The psychological for sure, I've deal I've dealt with that.
So when I got hurt, So when I found out
about the injury, it was all up here from the
start because I never dealt with it before.

Speaker 6 (01:51):
How did you handle it? What did you do?

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Really?

Speaker 7 (01:55):
Just rehab and being here with the guys, honestly, if
that's the that's the honest opinion. These guys made me
really just take my mind off the injury watching them
go out there and play and just practice it, just
and them just being around me and supporting me. That's
really all I needed.

Speaker 6 (02:09):
Who happens to was that part of it?

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Was there a player maybe who'd been through it before,
or someone else you relied on.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
There's no particular names.

Speaker 7 (02:17):
Everyone mostly you know, everyone mostly helped me out with
that of n Everyone on the team just helped me out.
They always came up to me. It was like, hey,
you're gonna be okay, You're gonna be back. It's not
it's not the end of the end of the world.
You're gonna be back. So so it wasn't really a
particular post person. It was mostly everyone on the team.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Go, is there been a moment where things psychologically clicked
when you're like alright, I'm back, I'm good, Like, was
there a a moment when that happened or has this
been more of a process.

Speaker 7 (02:41):
It's just m been more of a process, Like I
haven't been I haven't There hasn't been a time where
I was like, Okay, I'm back because, like I said, injuries,
a injury like that is it takes time for you
to come back. So I haven't had a time where
I was like, Okay, I'm back. It's just been okay,
how can I get better each day?

Speaker 5 (02:55):
Flash forward a week after your injury and you see
what happened to you?

Speaker 6 (02:59):
Gappen m G.

Speaker 5 (03:00):
How did in the moment when you're trying to deal
with something, how do you kind of help your guy
who's going.

Speaker 6 (03:06):
Through something somewhere?

Speaker 7 (03:07):
Well, when that happened with him, I was obviously I
was probably like one of the first ones to call
him because you know, we used to live together out
of my roommate, so you know, as soon as that happened,
I made sure I'll call him and tell him like
you're not you're not alone, Like we're gonna go through it.
We're gonna get through this process together. So that was
really what happened.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
After that. It was actually pretty cool.

Speaker 7 (03:28):
You know, Gavin is the type of guy who you know,
he just stays on you, make sure he does your things,
and you know, always keeps the house clean.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
He's a clean freak. So yeah, he's he's cool got
to live with.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Even though you couldn't get the reps you wanted last year?
Can you become a better player just through observation and
doing those.

Speaker 6 (03:43):
Kinds of things?

Speaker 7 (03:44):
Oh, most definitely. I can definitely become a better player, boy,
just getting mental reps. And I think that's something that
I've definitely learned how to do since I've been out
just looking and seeing how other players do things and
seeing how the players developed. I think I've done a
really good job with that.

Speaker 6 (03:57):
I've got a massive body transformation.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Thank you.

Speaker 6 (04:00):
Are you where you want to be now? Or are
you're still? Is that a process too?

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (04:03):
Yes, that's also still a process of My weight has
been fluctuating, it's been going up and down. So I'm
just really just trying to get back to the weight
that I want to I want to be at.

Speaker 6 (04:11):
What are you today before lunch?

Speaker 7 (04:13):
I'm around three oh maybe three oh three three h four,
So you want to play about three ten, three fifteen.

Speaker 5 (04:19):
Now that you look look back at that last year,
how you how did you and Gavin and support each
other through going through that process? And how do you
guys should psychologically try and coach each other past the
fear factor.

Speaker 6 (04:33):
That might come with it?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
You know.

Speaker 7 (04:35):
Honestly, it's just been when we see each other in
that meeting at not meeting room, in the training room,
we just always just we always do rehab together and
we always just say hey, like we're we're gonna come
back and we're gonna leave out leave what we left
off at. So it's just the reminder that you know,
this is not this pain is only temporary, the injury
is only temporary. We have about probably about a few

(04:55):
months to get back, so we just used that time,
we spent time in that rehab room and we just
been working, keeping our head and not working.

Speaker 5 (05:01):
What was that first practice like seeing each other there
on the field.

Speaker 7 (05:04):
Again, Uh, we we had we had we had a smile,
We had a smile at each other, and we were
just like, it's go time now, Like that's really all
it was.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
We were just excited to get back out there.

Speaker 8 (05:13):
You already been asked this, But you get the starting
job last year, you get hurt the first game, How
the hell did you finish the game?

Speaker 3 (05:20):
Uh?

Speaker 7 (05:21):
I honestly didn't feel it like I felt like I
felt like a little pop, but I you know, I
have hyper extended my knee before, so I thought it
was just a hyper extension. So I got it checked
out halftime and they said I was good to go.
So I was like, okay, So I just went out
there and I just finished the game and then what uh?
Then after that my knee got really stiff and I
couldn't walk. So I was like, yeah, it's something wrong.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
So with the pounds you've dropped, if your teammates start
calling your nuts big.

Speaker 6 (05:47):
Duley, is that a compliment?

Speaker 3 (05:49):
Uh?

Speaker 7 (05:50):
To take I take it as more so like I
need to get my weight up most definitely.

Speaker 6 (05:56):
I mean, you know, tell Us obviously was an acl
was a Yes, there was the nickname Big dual legue.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
I'm kind of knew here where did that come from
the origin?

Speaker 7 (06:06):
So the origin of that is in high school, I
had a runner back named Willis Shephard and we used
to have a play design just for me to pull
and so every time I pulled, and I was pretty
fast back then, even with the way I was at
I was around like three sixty around that time, so
even with that weight, I was still pretty fast. And
after that they used to call me Dooley Truck. And
Dooley Truck is the is like a big flatbed truck

(06:27):
with the two wheels on the back and those are
pretty quick too. So yeah, that's how I got the nickname.
It was random, very random.

Speaker 8 (06:33):
You guys got really close over the all season the
offensive line. How do you kind of balance you guys
as a brotherhood, but also you know, I'm fighting you
every day, I'm trying to take your job.

Speaker 7 (06:42):
Well, we don't really look at it as you know,
I'm trying to take your job. We just hear really
just compete and playing football with each other. And I
feel like that's something that separates us, is that from
the whole conferences that we're not looking to, you know,
take over or be a starter. We're just looking to
go out there and play football. And I feel like
with that meant right there because we haven't really had
no issues where oh I want to be the starting

(07:04):
guy or you know, we just going out there and
just competing, doing our job and learning each day.

Speaker 3 (07:09):
That's all we're doing.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
You've seen a lot of linemen here. Can this be
the best line that you can say, Tad in your career?

Speaker 3 (07:14):
Most? Definitely?

Speaker 7 (07:15):
I feel like because we have more guys that can
go out there and play young guys as well, So
I feel like this has been the best old line
that I've been a part of.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
So who impresses you either from last year to this
year or from you in Springton now you say they've.

Speaker 6 (07:25):
Been took a big league.

Speaker 7 (07:28):
I would say guys this year that most most definitely
impressed me. Luca. Luca most definitely impressed me. He's just
a very smart guy, very smart guy. I'm I sit
next to him and meet the rooms and I try
to pick I try to pick his brain a little
bit because you know, even though I've been here, but
he's been in that system for a very long time,
so I'm still kind of learning it. And with Luca
sitting next to me and being that type of guy,

(07:50):
I can pick from his brain and he just helps
me a lot. Matt, he's a he's a VET as well,
you know, all American acc he's just been He's been
a guy that I can definitely lean on as well.
And guys last year who's improved, as I would say,
like Rakeim Johnson, Rusting Young Staying, you know, all those guys,
all those guys really you know, improved for sure. So
I'm just really excited to get with these guys and

(08:11):
you know, I'm back this year, so I get to
add a little bit to it. So I'm just really excited.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
Dude, what were you feeling last year?

Speaker 8 (08:17):
You haven't came in together, right, So he's talking about
how close you guys have been. When when you see
him go down and you're already down, you see him
walk in the training room or whatever, what were you
feeling after you knowing sort of what he's gone through
and he gets.

Speaker 7 (08:28):
His shot and then so much well, I'm getting goosebumps
just talking about it because I was actually at the
game watching it. I was, I was on the field
and when I seen him go down, I was just thinking, like, man, like,
it kind of hurt me because, like I say, we
came in together, and you know, he's been injured freshman year,
sophomore year, junior year. Was his his time to you
know when I when I got hurt, he went in,

(08:49):
he was ready, he stepped up, and then you know
that kind of just it just ruined everything, and I
was I was sad for him. It was unexpected and
very tough time to really just be like dang, like,
you know, he it was this moment and I was gone,
So it hurt me for sure, similar injuries, No, his
was different.

Speaker 8 (09:07):
What was like rehaving together as a guy you're close
with you got you guys are both going through stuff together.

Speaker 6 (09:11):
Did that help having each other during this?

Speaker 7 (09:13):
Definitely with each other most definitely pushed each other a lot,
especially in reha in a rehid room, we had same times,
the same time, were supposed to be there. So every
time I walk in, he'll tell me, come on, let's go,
let's let's look in, let's let's get back.

Speaker 3 (09:25):
He said, you guys were competing different things. Is there
any example.

Speaker 8 (09:27):
Like shooting paper balls in the garbage or something like
what were you guys competing in in that? Like he said,
literally even dumb stuff. But you said, you guys.

Speaker 7 (09:34):
Always compete, Yeah, we always. Uh so let's say, for example,
rob paper scissors. Okay, we literally just rob paper scisors
to see who gets the podium with the table. So
it's just like we're alway yeah, like before we came here.
So it's just like we always competing, We're always having fun,
and you know, this is just how we are. We've
been like that since we came in and that would
never change when we get older.

Speaker 8 (09:53):
And then just last thing I got it for, Like,
what's the hunger level for for yourself personally and for
him that you can tell, Like, you guys have both
been around while you've both been on the cuss and
you both had a little bad luck obviously, now you're
back right there on the cusp again.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
What's the hunger level for you and him? If you
want to speak for a little bit.

Speaker 8 (10:07):
Mostly, I guess you like to to make this a
real season, if you know.

Speaker 7 (10:11):
What I'm saying, I think the hunger level for me,
like I said, go back to my injury. I've been
out for ten to eleven months and really a whole year,
so it's really just been like I'm just ready to
get back out there. I feel like I left a
lot out there on the table when I got hurt,
and it's more to you know what I'm saying, get
off the table. So I'm ready to just go out there,

(10:33):
ball out be the best player I can be and
for my teammates as well, and hopefully that can feed
off for my uh offensive line brothers as well, so.

Speaker 3 (10:39):
We can go out there to have a good season.

Speaker 8 (10:41):
So if you u uh touched on this already, but
you you got hurt in the game, and then played
the rest of the game, and then like a day
or so later, find like.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
What what was that like?

Speaker 6 (10:48):
And did you know you were hurt? Or like, what
what was that like?

Speaker 2 (10:51):
Playing the game well hurt?

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Like do you look back on that, Like.

Speaker 6 (10:54):
I don't know what was that?

Speaker 3 (10:55):
Like?

Speaker 7 (10:55):
I watched that game every time I get a chance,
and I still don't understand how I went out there
and played the whole game like it happened around like
the going into the second half, and like I said,
I got checked out and they said I was fine,
and so I went out there. I still played. But
then after the game, I was walking back to the
Kellogg and I felt my leg get real stiff. And
then the next morning I couldn't really move my leg.

(11:17):
So it was like I knew something was wrong. It
wasn't no hyper extension, so we got it checked out,
got in my eyes and found out that it was
a rupture aco.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
One more thing about the road back. You're not from this.

Speaker 3 (11:28):
Area originally, I am from Detrait.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
You are from Detroit, so your family still here? Yes,
how much easier did that make it than if you
hadn't and you'd been from a thousand.

Speaker 6 (11:37):
Miles away.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
We're talking about the injury or just the.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
Fact, Yeah, that support system you had family here, if
you'd just been from a different stage.

Speaker 7 (11:46):
And the support system was it was it made everything
a little bit easier because, like I say, I have
people here, but also my mom lives in Georgia. So
my mom flew up and she actually took care of
me a little bit. My dad, he was already in Detroit,
so he just drove up. And then the support it
was amazing, Like, yeah, I had ups and downs with
the mental but like I said, there has been people

(12:08):
who support me that brought me back and you know,
made sure that you know, I was okay.

Speaker 6 (12:13):
Nothing like having a mom around. Yo. Man, What did
she do to get you through it?

Speaker 7 (12:19):
A lot of home cooked meals, a lot of talks.
Me and my mom are like best friends. So whenever
she knows, she knows when I whenever I'm down and
there's something wrong. So soon as when it was like
I had like a little mental breakdown about the injuries,
she came in there.

Speaker 3 (12:33):
We talked.

Speaker 7 (12:34):
We talked for about two three hours and that was
really that was really it. I love having talked to
my mom because she makes everything better.

Speaker 1 (12:40):
She must be a good cook. Most definitely, Most definitely,
is there one thing that she would make you? She'd say, oh,
you know, do it's down. I got it that she
would make knowing that it would put a smile on
your face.

Speaker 7 (12:51):
She knows how to make chicken case of dis from scratch. Yeah,
so she's just whenever I'm down, I tell her to
make the chicken case of the to be's to go.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
To right there.

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Speaker 1 (13:35):
Jack Kevlin here with my good friend Matt Sloan a
graph of opemists big summer here, Matt.

Speaker 3 (13:39):
That's right, Jack.

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We got great deals for.

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That's exactly right, Dopathy Matt in the gang here West
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Speaker 3 (15:40):
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