Western Michigan wide receiver Damari Roberson sprints off the line of scrimmage during Western Michigan's first football practice of the season at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, August 2, 2019. The Broncos will take on Monmouth in their first game on August 31st.Emil Lippe | MLive.com

KALAMAZOO, MI – Damari Roberson put on his football pads, eye black and tape just as he had countless times in his young football career.

On paper, was nothing remarkable about Muskegon Mona Shores’ Sept. 17, 2017 matchup with an overmatched Jenison team, but five years later, it’s a game Roberson can’t forget.

The current Western Michigan linebacker tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that game, which was the first setback in a long and winding road back to the football field for the former four-star recruit.

On Friday, he’s preparing to take the field for the first time since that injury, as Roberson’s Broncos visit Michigan State in the 2022 season opener.

“It’s just a feeling of relief,” Roberson said of preparing to play in his first time since his junior season of high school. “Our coaches always preach that our practices every day are for the game, so when that day comes, I know it’s going to be filled with emotion. I’m going to be overwhelmed, and it’s going to be an unexplainable feeling.”

Once considered one of Michigan’s top high school football players, Roberson entered his junior year at Mona Shores with 17 scholarship offers, including Power-Five opportunities from Northwestern, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue and Syracuse.

The 2017 season started as good as possible for Roberson and Mona Shores, as the Sailors won their first four games by an average of 21 points per contest, with Roberson reeling off big play after big play, including 92-yard a kickoff return in a victory over Canton at Michigan Stadium.

But the junior wideout saw his season come to an end with a non-contact knee injury in Week 5 against Jenison.

“It was a normal day,” Roberson said. “Came into the game ready to put on a show and blew out a knee that game. I remember that day like it was yesterday. Pretty sad day.”

While the injury was a significant setback, modern medicine has allowed many an athlete to return from a torn ACL, so Roberson shifted his focus to rehabbing his knee and motivating his teammates from the sideline.

But the injury bug bit again in June 2018 – on the same knee, nonetheless. A second ACL surgery in nine months brought an end to Roberson’s high school football career and left his college playing status in jeopardy.

According to Mona Shores head coach Matt Koziak, most of Roberson’s Big Ten suitors pulled their scholarship offers after the second surgery, most notably Northwestern, which refused to take his commitment in June 2018.

WMU was among the college football programs that honored their scholarship offer, leading Roberson to commit to the Broncos shortly after his second injury and later sign with the team in December 2018.

Damari Roberson signs his National Letter of Intent to play football at Western Michigan University on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, at Mona Shores High School, in Norton Shores, Michigan. (Mike Krebs | MLive.com) Mike Krebs | MLive.com

After receiving Roberson’s national letter of intent, WMU head coach Tim Lester expressed optimism that the Broncos had uncovered another talented player that other schools overlooked due to injury concerns.

“It happened to me, it happened to (Justin) Tranquill, it happened to (Jason) Babin, it happened to (Greg) Jennings,” Lester said at his early signing day press conference. “We’ve had a lot of success with those guys. Even last year we had a couple guys that some schools backed off when they got hurt, but we have our doctors look at that and say, ‘Hey, is he going to be fine? Is he going to be back to full speed?’ and when they give us the thumbs up, it is a great opportunity for us to get a really good player.”

Roberson joined the Broncos as a freshman wide receiver, but sat out his freshman season while rehabbing his knee.

Then, he endured another setback, when he tore his right ACL in July 2020, causing him to undergo a third surgery in just under four years.

As a long road to recovery loomed, Roberson took his time to figure out what the future held.

“My ‘want,’ that’s what was going through my head,” Roberson said. “What do I want? What do I truly want? Do I want to continue to fight and play this game that I love, or change something up?

“At the beginning, I really didn’t have the mindset of sitting down and talking about it without thinking my life was over and stuff like that, but I talked with my family, my teammates, my brothers, and I decided to just keep fighting to be as healthy as I can and ride this ride until the wheels fall off.”

With a strong support system, Roberson continued his recovery with a determination to eventually play football again.

Having a wealth of experience in the rehabilitation process, Roberson knew what to expect and credits WMU football head athletic trainer Sarah McBrien and assistant strength and conditioning coach Kyle Murray for sticking with him throughout.

“It was pretty smooth,” he said of his recovery. “Having Sarah and Kyle and them just being in my corner every day, they lifted me up early in the morning and just took time to think about the little things that cause injuries like that – the angle of your knee and stuff like that – I just really want to give a big thanks to the training staff that we have for that.”

For the first time since his junior year of high school, Roberson took the practice field without a brace on either knee, allowing him to fly around the field and showcase his athleticism.

“It’s kind of like a weight lifted off your shoulders,” he said of practicing without a knee brace. “You’re able to move around and move freely with the guys, and I’m just enjoying every moment of it. After being hurt and sitting on the sideline and watching for so long, I’m just happy to happy to finally be in the action and be a part of this.

“I’m taking it day by day, and I’m happy to be out there.”

Western Michigan wide receiver Damari Roberson sprints during Western Michigan's first football practice of the season at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, August 2, 2019. The Broncos will take on Monmouth in their first game on August 31st.Emil Lippe | MLive.com

Roberson’s return to the field also came with a position change. He’s no longer playing receiver or safety, which he learned while recovering from his 2020 injury, but rather taking the field at strongside linebacker, where he has worked his way up to No. 2 on the depth chart.

“Damari Roberson is really flying around, and it looks like he’s finally healthy and comfortable,” Lester said during the first week of fall camp. “We have him playing at SAM (linebacker) because there’s less space to deal with, so he’s been flying around and hitting people. I’m really proud of him.”

At SAM linebacker, Roberson lines up in front of his old safety spot, so he was immediately familiar with the assignments, but there have been some challenges in run fits and attacking the correct gap along the offensive front.

Bulking up to linebacker size has also been a focus, and Roberson has added 13 pounds since last season to get up to 208, and he’s hoping to make it to 215 eventually, but overall, he’s happy with the position change.

“Looking back and self-reflecting and looking at my game, coverage was a big thing I needed to work on, and the coaches here are trying to play to my strengths, so they came up with the idea to move,” he said. “They know I’m pretty physical, and once I get hands on, I’m good in coverage, but being closer to the man and to the person, it’s way easier for me. It’s less space and just overall better for me as a player.”

“I’m down for the move because it’s closer to the ball,” he added.

In Friday’s 7 p.m. opener against MSU, Roberson plans to play special teams and possibly see the field in a back-up role to starter Zaire Barnes.

His college football debut will be a moment five years in the making and one that the Muskegon native will remember with pride after sticking with the sport he loves.

“It makes me feel great,” he said of his return. “I would say that I’m a good example of someone who takes adversity head on and rolls with the punches, and no matter what, you get up after each fall.”

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