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With each spring practice, Matt Hegarty feels his past slip a bit further into the distance. He hopes his play on the field both this spring and in the fall -- whether it be as a back-up center, starting guard or otherwise -- will separate his past and his present in others’ eyes.
In November of 2012, Hegarty suffered a stroke. A little more than a month later, he had surgery to repair two previously undetected holes in his heart. Naturally, such scares put his football career in question. But now, Hegarty believes he’s answered that question and then some.
“It’s nice, the further you get away, people remember you more for what you’re doing currently instead of, ‘Hey, weren’t you the guy?’ and that kind of thing,” the senior-to-be offensive lineman said. “It’s nice to be able to put that behind. It’s part of my past, but it’s not anything that can affect what I’m trying to do now.”
Now, Hegarty is trying to stake a claim to a starting offensive line spot. This spring that has meant Hegarty touches the ball on every snap as the starting unit’s center while Nick Martin recovers from a significant knee injury suffered late last season. A natural assumption would be Martin will reclaim his starting role in the fall, but in the meantime, Hegarty uses the reps to develop his game.
“The reps have been great,” he said. “Anytime you can get a lot of work like I’ve been able to get this spring, it’s always nice, trying to improve your game.
“I’d say the best part about it is when you’re playing center, you have to make sure everyone is on the same page and make sure it’s all one moving piece. Just having that, getting a real general knowledge of all the defenses and things like that, it’s pretty invaluable stuff.”
Learning the entire offensive line package, rather than solely the guard’s duties, has expanded Hegarty’s understanding of the principles that govern run and pass blocking. Starting the final two games of the 2013 season provided a base knowledge that he’s built upon this spring.
While no one -- including Hegarty -- wanted to see Martin injured, that did not prevent the New Mexico native from making the most of his opportunity, including helping pave the way for 175 rushing yards in the Pinstripe Bowl and giving up a combined one sack in the season’s last two games.
“(Starting) helped a lot, having a feel for the flow of the game and everything, getting a little bit of the taste and now being able to sharpen up some of the things you want to improve in the spring,” Hegarty said. “It’s nice.”
Come fall, however, assuming a healthy Martin, if Hegarty is to find more playing time, it’ll likely be alongside the center. Irish head coach Brian Kelly has lumped him in with a grouping of linemen competing for the starting guard spots, even as Hegarty snaps the ball this spring.
“Right now, I’m just focused on playing center, but as we go along, wherever they want to put me, I’m more than willing to work at it,” he said. “A lot of stuff we do cross-trains over to other spots.
“Having a chance to have a spot anywhere is a great opportunity at this level, so I’m grateful for any of it.”
That tone of gratitude echoes against Hegarty’s past. He came so close to ending his football career. Instead, he now serves as a much-needed interior offensive line utility knife.
“We’re very, very fortunate (to have Hegarty),” Kelly said before spring practice began. “He has made incredible strides. Here’s a kid who was almost ruled out of playing football. Last year at this time, we had serious question marks about what his level would be here. Now we see him at workouts and he’s leading and communicating.
“To have a guy like that who has had competitive snaps, and to have him again for all of spring, that’s a good situation for us to be in.”
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