Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Micah Bernard thought he was done.
Done with football, done with college, done with that part of his life. An off-the-field injury unrelated to football held him out of most of the 2023 season, and the thought of returning to the game started to become a chore — at least the love for it was fading quickly.
For a stretch, it was easier to just put football away for good as he was "falling out of love" with the sport.
"The stuff that he went through, it's no fun and there's not a lot of joy in that," Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig said.
Running back coach Quinton Ganther said he started to see it happen in real time. He said he studies his players to pick up tendencies, and he noticed there was something off with Bernard, so he started to "dig a little deeper" into his veteran back.
Though Bernard mostly keeps to himself, Ganther said, he shared with his position coach that he was "close to walking away." It was a feeling Ganther resonated with after wanting to do the same when he was an NFL player years ago.
"I was there once when I was in the NFL and I wanted to walk away; I wanted to walk away," Ganther said. "The way I encourage them is you've got to understand that if you walk away from this game, this is a young man's game, you'll never be able to play it again. So don't walk away until somebody tells you you can't play anymore.
"At this moment in time, don't walk away until they tell you you can't play again, because there's gonna come a time where we all get told that we can't play. You don't want to regret that. You don't want to regret that with your children, with your family, because he has a family that's looking up to him."
But Ganther recognizes that it's a "demanding" game — for players and coaches — and it's not easy to continue with the game, especially if the passion isn't there. Add to that the seemingly never-ending school requirement, and it often becomes a bit too much.
"I don't think a lot of people understand how hard this game is. It is demanding. It is very, very demanding," Ganther said. "So with it being so demanding, you can't cheat the game by half assing it. So if you're not all in, you're all out, because it's so demanding and it causes you to put your undivided attention into it. So every guy's got to make that decision, to make that choice: Are they in?"
Sitting out for a majority of the 2023 season, though, gave Bernard some perspective. Yes, it was going to be difficult to get his body back in shape for football, and it was likely going to take more effort to do it for another season, but there wasn't anything else Bernard could see himself doing.
And to show his commitment to his return to the game and the university, Bernard pushed forward and added his name to the roster for the team's Las Vegas Bowl appearance against Northwestern. He managed 31 yards on nine carries, and the team's only touchdown of the game.
"I wanted to play in that game strictly to show everybody, like, I'm back," Bernard said. "I'm gonna be able to do this with you guys. A lot of people in the media — and I read the media; they try to write me out like I can only do this, I can only do that — I can do a lot of things. It kind of sucked seeing it, to be looked at like that, but I'm here to show you this is my last year, and I'm gonna give you my all."
Being back on the field feels right for Bernard. And though he feels like he's been at the university forever, he's ready to give it his all for one more season with the Utes — especially with Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe (as well as other players) back on the field like old times.
"It means a lot, but then again, it's like, man, I've been here so long I feel like (Britain Covey)," Bernard joked. "I'm like, man, am I gonna have another year? You know what I mean? But it feels good just to be back with the guys. To have guys like Cam and Brant back with me, it feels so much better than whatever it possibly could feel like."
Bernard will add another proven veteran in the backfield as Utah makes its move to the Big 12 as an expected favorite to lead the conference. His leadership and vision on the field is something that Ganther believes separates him from a loaded room of running backs looking to get on the field.
"Micah is super bright, like he is super bright," Ganther said. "The moment is not ever too big for him no matter who we're playing, no matter what it is, he is locked in no matter what. And he sees things before it happens, like he has a really good recall. If a play happens, he can tell you exactly what happened, why he did what he did. He knows the playbook inside and out. Just his knowledge of the game is just spectacular — it's coach like."
