Romar working to return
With a sixth year of eligibility unlikely, Matt Romar will probably have to pursue an NFL career if he wants to continue playing football.
NORMAN — Sitting with his arms folded, elbows resting on the table inside the ballroom at the L.A. Hotel, Matt Romar hardly expected anyone to interview him at the team’s Rose Bowl media day.
With a fractured back suffered against Tulane derailing his redshirt senior season, Romar had gone from a key piece of Oklahoma’s defensive line to practically anonymous as reporters flitted around the round tables, conducting interviews with many of the players who would be a factor in the upcoming Rose Bowl game.
Waiting quietly at a round table with his teammates for the 45 minute session to be over, Romar was finally approached by The Oklahoman.
When he spoke, his voice registered just above a whisper.
“It’s probably been the worst semester ever, especially when I had so much going for me,” he said, staring at the table. “And then in the blink of an eye, it was all gone.”
With the complex road to a sixth year of eligibility looking more unlikely, Romar will likely have to pursue an NFL career to get back on the field.
“I don’t have a lot of confidence in it right now,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said of sixth year process. “To be frank. It’s trending the direction that he will have exhausted his eligibility.”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
With a new defensive tackles coach in Ruffin McNeill and his concussion issues in the past, Romar was poised to turn in a solid performance in his final season with the Sooners.
“Matt is critical for our success,” defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said before the season opener. “Matt is as fresh as he’s ever been and as healthy as he’s ever been in a long time. I look for him to have a big year.”
Despite starting against UTEP and Ohio State, his season got off to a rocky start. He left the field during the first drive of UTEP game, and when he returned, he was flagged for two personal foul penalties. Then, against the Buckeyes, he assisted on just one tackle.
Early in the Tulane win, Romar knew something didn’t feel right.
He left the field during the Green Wave’s first drive. He wouldn’t return for the rest of the season.
“My back wasn’t feeling right,” he said. “Unfortunately it was much more serious than what I thought and it caused me to miss the whole season, basically.”
Though Riley said week after week that Romar was close to returning, in reality, Romar was never able to fully participate in practice after his injury.
Instead, he said he spent practice time walking or running on the treadmill and doing as much core work as he could.
McNeill also utilized him as an extra coach, giving him a purpose when he felt hopeless and lost.
“I have him tied in with helping the players, you know, go coach them,” McNeill said. “He’ll say, ‘Well you can tell them,’ and I say, ‘No, go tell them and coach them up.’
“I think that’s helped him a lot. The guys go to him and ask, ‘what do you think?’ I go, “Hey, go coach them, tell them, because you’ve been there.’”
Even with the guidance from his coach, Romar struggled through the rest of the season after his injury. He wasn’t able to travel to the away games, but he always attended the home games.
He went to Rose Bowl with the rest of the team, but elected to stay in his hotel room for some of the extracurriculars that came with the trip.
“I’ve been reading the Bible and talking to my girlfriend, things like that,” he said. “I just feel like if I’m not doing anything to help the team out on the field-wise, I don’t deserve to go out anyway and do no partying. That’s just how I am.”
If Romar’s collegiate career is done, he will finish with 51 career tackles and 4.5 sacks. His next step will be to pursue an NFL career. Coming back from an injury of this severity isn’t easy, but Romar is determined to forge a path ahead — one that includes football.
“Everything’s in God’s hands,” he said. “If football is what he wants me to do, he’ll make a way for me.”