Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: With his faith as his anchor, Myers showed the “work in the dark”
11/19/2023 4:42:00 PM | Football
The MTSU safety stepped up in a big way for injured teammates after a long road back from a devastating injury of his own.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Even if I hadn't known the context, I would've wanted to talk to Marvae Myers after MTSU's 34-30 win over UTEP on Saturday.
Making the start in place of the injured Tra Fluellen, Myers had been all over the field for the Blue Raiders. While not posting the tackle numbers that have kept Fluellen in the lineup the past two seasons, it's hard to find a defensive player that made more of an impact on Saturday, getting two takeaways (a fumble recovery and an interception), plus breaking up the final pass of the afternoon with the game on the line.
It'd be a great story if it was only about a player that had spent most of the year on the second team getting a chance to show what he could do and making his mark for his team. But there was so much more to Marvae Myers' story than just that.
"First and foremost, I just want to say thank you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Myers began at the podium. "Only he truly knows what it took for me to be here and to do what I did today."
Nearly a year and half later, I still remember the feeling of my stomach dropping as Myers described the practice play that resulted in his knee injury in the spring of 2021 as he told me last summer.
Like most memories, the details got fuzzy over time. I had to look back at my initial story on his rehab from the summer of 2022 to remember the exact play-by-play of the sequence, from Myers succeeding in press coverage, to his teammate powering through the rep off the ground, to Myers speeding up to catch back up on the play and getting his foot caught, hyperextending the knee.
I had forgotten other bits and pieces, like the exact medical terminology Keith Bunch used to describe the injury (posterolateral corner injury with ACL, which is essentially a torn ACL that's combined with extensive damage to lateral and collateral ligaments that support the knee), or who else had battled back from it (most notably Willis McGahee when he was at Miami).
What I hadn't forgotten was the way Myers described the near immediate swelling, how he couldn't put any weight on his leg coming off the field, how Bunch's expression when examining the knee told him all the young safety needed to know.
"He had an injury that the odds are against you of ever being able to come back and play," head coach Rick Stockstill said of Myers after the game on Saturday. "He worked extremely hard for two years rehabbing his knee to put himself in a position to play."
The rehab process is what stuck with me the most from reporting that story all these months later. Myers would come to get treatment during his recovery from the two major surgeries necessary to repair his knee while listening to audiobooks that focused on mindfulness. There were motivational books, sure, including audiobooks by former Navy SEALs, but also a lot of time with scripture, Myers said.
"That injury, although it was devastating, it actually fixed my soul," Myers said. "It built me to be able to withstand anything.
"When I got injured, it didn't look (good)," Myers said. "They told me that I would never play a snap of football again. But I believe in a God that can do anything. I kept my mind focused on Jesus throughout the whole process."
Getting back to just practicing again was an accomplishment for Myers. As his head coach put it: "You think about having to go into that training room to get treatment for two years? That'll wear on you, it'd wear on me!"
But Myers wanted to do more than just be a part of the MTSU program. He wanted to make an impact, but with two established starters ahead of him at safety, snaps were hard to come by.
"It starts with being ready when your number is called," Myers said. "This whole year I prided myself on not letting up in practice, continuing to practice like a starter, because you never know."
These past few weeks, Myers has had his chance, first getting the start in place of Fluellen after the Gilmer, Texas native had to miss the first half of the LA Tech game due to a second-half targeting call against Jacksonville State. Then, Myers got some snaps against FIU as players rotated with Jakobe Thomas out. When Fluellen tore his ACL later that game, Myers' snap count skyrocketed.
"It's unfortunate what happened to Tra, but one thing I promised him was I wasn't going to be a drop off for this defense," Myers said. "I promised my coach that. I told them I had been working in the dark and eventually it would show."
It certainly showed on Sunday, when Myers, in his own words, got the "honor" of making the final play of the game to win on Senior Day for seniors like Fluellen. For me, it was a heartwarming moment to see someone I'd grown to really root for after learning his story to get a chance and make the most of it. And Myers' thoughts after the game only brought more emotions out from everyone in the room.
It's easy to be cynical about college sports these days. With so much change in the industry and so many challenges that need to be tackled, I understand that sentiment of frustration I see every day online from Blue Raider fans and just college sports fans. But student athletes like Marvae Myers remind me why I fell in love with the impact college sports can have.
These games can feel meaningless at times, particularly when, as Saturday's matchup between two 3-7 teams was, there's nothing but pride to play for. But these programs, the students and coaches inside of them, and the community of fans that surround them, can be such a force for positive change in so many lives. It's what keeps me coming back, and I'm thankful Marvae Myers helped remind me of that on Saturday.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm probably going to go home and cry tonight when I'm one-on-one and just think about and reflect on everything I've been through," Myers said. "It's been a grind to just make my coaches trust me. All season, I was telling them, 'Look man, I pride myself on winning. I pride myself on being the guy here I know that I can be.'
"Tonight was just a good self-milestone, as well as for the team to know that I'm capable of the things I knew I could do."
Making the start in place of the injured Tra Fluellen, Myers had been all over the field for the Blue Raiders. While not posting the tackle numbers that have kept Fluellen in the lineup the past two seasons, it's hard to find a defensive player that made more of an impact on Saturday, getting two takeaways (a fumble recovery and an interception), plus breaking up the final pass of the afternoon with the game on the line.
It'd be a great story if it was only about a player that had spent most of the year on the second team getting a chance to show what he could do and making his mark for his team. But there was so much more to Marvae Myers' story than just that.
"First and foremost, I just want to say thank you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Myers began at the podium. "Only he truly knows what it took for me to be here and to do what I did today."
Nearly a year and half later, I still remember the feeling of my stomach dropping as Myers described the practice play that resulted in his knee injury in the spring of 2021 as he told me last summer.
Like most memories, the details got fuzzy over time. I had to look back at my initial story on his rehab from the summer of 2022 to remember the exact play-by-play of the sequence, from Myers succeeding in press coverage, to his teammate powering through the rep off the ground, to Myers speeding up to catch back up on the play and getting his foot caught, hyperextending the knee.
I had forgotten other bits and pieces, like the exact medical terminology Keith Bunch used to describe the injury (posterolateral corner injury with ACL, which is essentially a torn ACL that's combined with extensive damage to lateral and collateral ligaments that support the knee), or who else had battled back from it (most notably Willis McGahee when he was at Miami).
What I hadn't forgotten was the way Myers described the near immediate swelling, how he couldn't put any weight on his leg coming off the field, how Bunch's expression when examining the knee told him all the young safety needed to know.
"He had an injury that the odds are against you of ever being able to come back and play," head coach Rick Stockstill said of Myers after the game on Saturday. "He worked extremely hard for two years rehabbing his knee to put himself in a position to play."
The rehab process is what stuck with me the most from reporting that story all these months later. Myers would come to get treatment during his recovery from the two major surgeries necessary to repair his knee while listening to audiobooks that focused on mindfulness. There were motivational books, sure, including audiobooks by former Navy SEALs, but also a lot of time with scripture, Myers said.
"That injury, although it was devastating, it actually fixed my soul," Myers said. "It built me to be able to withstand anything.
"When I got injured, it didn't look (good)," Myers said. "They told me that I would never play a snap of football again. But I believe in a God that can do anything. I kept my mind focused on Jesus throughout the whole process."
Getting back to just practicing again was an accomplishment for Myers. As his head coach put it: "You think about having to go into that training room to get treatment for two years? That'll wear on you, it'd wear on me!"
But Myers wanted to do more than just be a part of the MTSU program. He wanted to make an impact, but with two established starters ahead of him at safety, snaps were hard to come by.
"It starts with being ready when your number is called," Myers said. "This whole year I prided myself on not letting up in practice, continuing to practice like a starter, because you never know."
These past few weeks, Myers has had his chance, first getting the start in place of Fluellen after the Gilmer, Texas native had to miss the first half of the LA Tech game due to a second-half targeting call against Jacksonville State. Then, Myers got some snaps against FIU as players rotated with Jakobe Thomas out. When Fluellen tore his ACL later that game, Myers' snap count skyrocketed.
"It's unfortunate what happened to Tra, but one thing I promised him was I wasn't going to be a drop off for this defense," Myers said. "I promised my coach that. I told them I had been working in the dark and eventually it would show."
It certainly showed on Sunday, when Myers, in his own words, got the "honor" of making the final play of the game to win on Senior Day for seniors like Fluellen. For me, it was a heartwarming moment to see someone I'd grown to really root for after learning his story to get a chance and make the most of it. And Myers' thoughts after the game only brought more emotions out from everyone in the room.
It's easy to be cynical about college sports these days. With so much change in the industry and so many challenges that need to be tackled, I understand that sentiment of frustration I see every day online from Blue Raider fans and just college sports fans. But student athletes like Marvae Myers remind me why I fell in love with the impact college sports can have.
These games can feel meaningless at times, particularly when, as Saturday's matchup between two 3-7 teams was, there's nothing but pride to play for. But these programs, the students and coaches inside of them, and the community of fans that surround them, can be such a force for positive change in so many lives. It's what keeps me coming back, and I'm thankful Marvae Myers helped remind me of that on Saturday.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm probably going to go home and cry tonight when I'm one-on-one and just think about and reflect on everything I've been through," Myers said. "It's been a grind to just make my coaches trust me. All season, I was telling them, 'Look man, I pride myself on winning. I pride myself on being the guy here I know that I can be.'
"Tonight was just a good self-milestone, as well as for the team to know that I'm capable of the things I knew I could do."
Players Mentioned
MTSU Football Signing Day Press Conference 1/3/25
Wednesday, December 03
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Sunday, November 30
MTSU Football at New Mexico State post-game press conference – 11/29/25
Saturday, November 29
Raider Report Game 12 - MTSU vs. New Mexico State University
Friday, November 28
