When Rutgers lineman Micah Clark arrived on the banks for his freshman year, he came in as a talented four-star recruit with potential but lacked the experience and physicality needed to make an immediate impact on the offensive line.

Now, heading into his sophomore year, Clark admitted that he is physically and mentally ready for a breakout season.

“Physically, I’m much improved. Right now, I’m weighing in at 305 [pounds]. I came in like 250. It was a big adjustment,” Clark said. “I had to get adjusted to the weight at first, but [strength] coach [Kenny] Parker really helped me. He helped me build on the weight the right way. I got adjusted quick.”

While it may be easy for some players to gain weight, Clark learned that he needed to gain good weight for the rigors of the Big Ten.

“It’s my eating habits. From the start, I don’t eat cake. I didn’t even eat cake on my birthday. I don’t eat cupcakes anymore too,” Clark said. “But my eating habits changed. I just stopped drinking soda and really buckled down. I definitely feel like I have more energy throughout the day."

Clark acknowledged that in order to see progress from his freshman to sophomore year, he had to change himself to see different results.

However, what Clark emphasized in his transition was learning how to look past his mistakes and focus on improving.

“It was tough. I’ll be honest, it was tough,” Clark admitted. “But I’ve been working overtime and not getting down on myself. Going to coach and going over the plays that I messed up on, getting those mental reps when I’m out really helped me.”

This spring, another adjustment is taking place as Clark has to adjust to playing right guard after spending last season as a backup right tackle.

When asked about his transition to guard, Clark had nothing but a big smile and good things to say.

“I’m loving it. I think when I was at tackle, I worried about being on an island too much and I panicked too much against jacked (big) players and I didn’t feel comfortable. Now at guard, I got my feet underneath myself. I really like it at guard.”

Clark appeared in nine games as a freshman.