Michigan State guard Geno VanDeMark hungry to win starting job after getting a taste in ’22

East Lansing, Mich. – After earning starts in back-to-back games at right guard against Indiana and Penn State to close out the 2022 season, Geno VanDeMark finds himself in a good position to be a full-time starter on the interior offensive line for Michigan State as a redshirt sophomore this fall.

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound third-year Spartan, however, is taking nothing for granted.

“This whole off-season, I didn’t go in with a mindset of having the job locked down for next year at all,” said VanDeMark, who is repping at guard and center during training camp. “I didn’t have that mindset whatsoever and used that as motivation because I got a taste it, but now I want to have that full time. It added more fuel to the fire for sure.”

VanDeMark was motivated enough during the off-season to get serious about nutrition and the weight room. He is five pounds heavier than he was last fall and noticeably stronger.

“I had a pretty good transformation this off-season, just putting my nose down to the grindstone and really buying in, not just in the weightroom, but nutrition-wise as well,” VanDeMark said. “And having some fun in the weightroom. When you get the guys juiced up, and everyone has energy, you’re going to want to go harder yourself.”

VanDeMark has established himself as a reliable interior offensive lineman according to his position coach Chris Kapilovic.

“Geno has done some good things this camp, and in spring ball,” Kapilovic said. “He has changed his body, and if you saw his before and after picture that was huge. He is playing center and guard and I am comfortable with him at either.”

VanDeMark has taken reps at center throughout his Spartan career as a hedge against a rash of injuries at the center position. He has had a good amount of work at center during training camp this year as the result of a minor injury to starting center Nick Samac, who is expected back for the season opener against Central Michigan.

A foundation to build on

VanDeMark saw the field in 10 games and totaled 225 snaps on offense as a redshirt freshman in 2022. He played 40 additional snaps on special teams for the Spartans, making his debut in the season opener against Western Michigan. VanDeMark took his first snaps at guard during a Week 2 blowout of Akron. He would then have to wait until a late October game at Michigan to get more real work at the guard position.

“I think getting my first real experience in games last year, especially in the game down the road, and toward the end of the season getting my first couple of starts definitely helped my confidence,” said VanDeMark. “It got my feet, getting thrown into the fire. It was good for me and good for my game.”

Although 75 percent of the offensive snaps VanDeMark took last season came in starting assignments against Indiana and Penn State, playing 20 snaps at Michigan against one of the better defensive lines in the Big Ten was a significant moment in his development as a collegiate offensive lineman.

“I was in the two-deep all year,” VanDeMark said. “I wasn’t rotating to start, and then some things happened. I got thrown into the fire down the road and held my own. Then I started rotating again, and I got the call (to start) for the last two games.”

From scout team to Michigan State starter

VanDeMark was one of the headliners in Mel Tucker’s first recruiting class at Michigan State in 2021. He signed with the Spartans as a near-consensus Top 10 prospect in the state of New Jersey as a senior at St. Joseph’s Regional in Montvale. That class also featured JUCO offensive tackle Brandon Baldwin, East Lansing tackle Ethan Boyd, and another bid-bodied New Jersey product in Kevin Wigenton.

As a true freshman in 2021, VanDeMark and his classmates were surrounded by upperclassmen. VanDeMark recalls mimicking a defensive lineman during a drill in training camp as a first-year Spartan and finding himself on the receiving end of jarring force to a blocking pad from senior Kevin Jarvis as a welcome-to-college moment.

“I was giving a defensive look to Kevin Jarvis and Matt Allen,” VanDeMark said. “I am holding the bag, and them I’m like, ‘oh, wow, these guys are strong dudes.’ They’re fifth and sixth-year guys; these guys are 23 and 24-year-olds.”

“Coming from high school, you are bigger and stronger than most, and that was my case,” VanDeMark said. “My overall athleticism had to get better. I had to get faster. I had to get stronger. I have done those things, so great credit to our strength staff and getting coached by Coach Kap. He is the best in the business. There’s a developmental period for most offensive linemen.”

That developmental period for VanDeMark also included an apprenticeship on the scout team where he routinely squared off against physical defensive tackles like Jacob Slade, Simeon Barrow, and Maverick Hansen. Slade is chasing his NFL Dream in Arizona this August, but VanDeMark has had his fill of Barrow and Hansen during training camp.

“We’ve got some really good defensive linemen and our front seven has been looking really good,” VanDeMark said. “Going up against Sim, even when I was a freshman on scout team, going up against Sim, Slade, and Derrick Harmon, Mav and all those guys. Now the new guys like JJ (Jarrett Jackson), (Jalen) Sami, Dre (Butler), and Tunmise (Adeleye). Those guys are really good and we think we’re really good too.”

Barrow has gotten the better of VanDeMark on more than one occasion during training camp, but the third-year Spartan offensive lineman will be better prepared for upcoming season as a result.

“He has had to go against No. 8 every snap,” Kapilovic said. “There’s been some tough moments for him, but it’s made him better. I like where he is at.”

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