Up front, Hart has displayed his heart
Tackle overcomes injuries to become reliable presence
Just a few days after arriving at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa to start his JUCO career, Makai Hart was running on one of the program’s unkempt fields when he stepped in a hole and broke his ankle.
Even before the injury, Hart faced an uphill battle as an instate player at a defensive line position that typically looks to out-of-state talent for production. Hart said the recovery from surgery was so difficult that he “honestly almost gave up.”
But Hart was not deterred. Not through the broken ankle that cost him almost a full year, not through the shift to offensive line that was his only shot at playing time, not through an Achilles strain and a broken hand that limited him to just a few games with a club on his arm as a redshirt freshman, and not through a coaching change that pushed him to transfer to Trinity Valley in Athens.
When Hart finally found the chance to play at full strength last year, the Division I offers followed. He decided on UTSA, and though another injury cost him the first few weeks of the season, he’s proven to be a steadying force at offensive tackle through the second half of the year.
“There were a lot of downfalls. Alot of downs, and not that many ups,” Hart said. “But just keep working, and those ups happen. … I’m proud of the path I took to get here.”
When Tyler Uselton joined the staff at Ellsworth in spring 2018, Hart appeared to be “just another guy,” unable to show off his athleticism while he worked to recover from ankle surgery the previous fall.
But as Uselton watched old film of Hart playing tight end and defensive line at Clinton High, he saw explosion and mobility.
Off the field, Hart was struggling academically and had just learned his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child. Uselton thought a move to guard would provide Hart stability and a chance to play.
“The defense was telling us, ‘Hey, he’s not going to play for us. If you want him, take him,’ ” Uselton said.
Hart’s snaps during the spring were limited by the injury, but Uselton noticed potential in his natural movement. Learning the footwork of the position was Hart’s greatest challenge, but Uselton said he made quick progress as a blank canvas without any bad habits.
Hart was at first reluctant to change positions but said he felt like he “didn’t really have a choice.” His high school coaches tried to make the same move, but Hart clung to his role as a defensive lineman and tight end.
“I guess I was living that touchdown life rather than the big-boy life,” Hart said.
When a new coaching staff brought a triple-option offense to Ellsworth, Hart chose to follow Uselton to Trinity Valley. But Hart continued to struggle with injuries, re-aggravating his Achilles during his first workout in the program. As Hart sat out most of summer and fall camp, Uselton worried if Trinity Valley’s coaches would be willing to grant him a spot on the roster, sight unseen.
After just two reps in his first healthy practice, Hart made the decision to carry him a “nobrainer,” Uselton said. Hart returned to full action about two weeks before the start of the season, and though he wasn’t projected as a starting tackle, he ended up filling in for one reason or another nearly every week.
Uselton recalled Hart turning down coaches’ offers to replace his beat-up helmet and weakening chin strap, caring more about football than any frills.
“He just became the ultimate grown-up,” Uselton said. “In the O-line room, everybody knew he was in charge. It was his show. Nobody ever messed with him. He carried the highest respect of anyone on the team.”
Fresh film started the flow of Division I offers, but Uselton said academic concerns from Hart’s time at Ellsworth scared off Power Five programs.
Hart landed at UTSA, where coach Jeff Traylor said he was penciled in as a day-one starter at right tackle. Though another injury kept him out of fall camp and the season’s first three games, Hart started the Roadrunners’ past six contests, playing his way into shape and becoming a reliable piece on an offensive line that has started nine different combinations in 10 games.
“He’s a beast,” guard Kevin Davis said. “From jump, he was more mature than most people that come in. He was catching on quick.”
UTSA offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. highlighted the way Hart committed to academics this spring, pushing through the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic to gain eligibility.
Hart’s goal is to advance to the NFL — a means to provide for his girlfriend and their 2-year-old daughter, Kiah, who live with him in San Antonio.
“She’s everything. I do it all for her,” Hart said. “The education part of football, just going out there every day, it’s for her. Everything is for her.”
Traylor said Hart takes strides in each game, playing with an effort level indicative of a player who had to outlast adversity just to land the opportunity.
“He’s been fantastic,” Traylor said. “He’s everything we thought he would be.”