The one-time wide receiver turned linebacker called his injury a “blessing.”
CORVALLIS — The road was long, painful and uncertain. But Makiya Tongue is back on the field for Oregon State football this spring.
In September 2023, on a special teams play against San Diego State, the one-time wide receiver turned inside linebacker tore the ACL, MCL, patella tendon and meniscus in his left knee. He was carted off the field at Reser Stadium, his face buried in his jersey.
Through multiple surgeries and nearly 18 months of rehab, there was doubt about whether Tongue would play football again. Now healthy, he will run back on the field for OSU’s spring game on Saturday — his first action in front of fans since the injury.
“In talking with the (doctor), I kept it with God and stayed with the work and kept my head down,” Tongue said. “There was definitely days where I’m not feeling good, (wondering) am I still going to play or am I not? But I worked hard, and thank you to everybody — coaches, trainers, parents, everybody who stuck by my side through the whole thing.”
Immobilized after surgery, Tongue relied on his father, Reggie — a former Beavers football player from 1992-1995 who spent nine seasons in the NFL — to drive him to physical therapy appointments. Roommates and teammates would help drive him around, too.
Getting back behind the wheel was a major step motivating Tongue to keep going in his rehab. He watched from the sidelines for the remainder of OSU’s 2023 campaign and all of its 2024 season, witnessing the collapse and restructuring of the Pac-12, explosion of the NIL marketplace, departure of Jonathan Smith and promotion of Trent Bray to head coach.
But Tongue kept his head down and focused on his journey back to the field.
“When you’re sitting alone in that room, and you’re just thinking about everything, you’ve got to be able to mentally push through yourself,” he said.
Tongue had only recently made the switch to linebacker from wide receiver when he got hurt. Now, with a full spring under his belt, he said he is loving the position. The ability to “fly around” and play with freedom, particularly for someone who rehabbed a brutal leg injury across three calendar years, has been Tongue’s favorite aspect of the return.
“I like to hit, man,” he said with a grin.
The injury also provided Tongue with perspective: To be grateful for the practices and mundane moments he used to complain about, and find joy in the progress. There was light at the end of the tunnel, and he’s accepted that things are different now.
For an OSU football program playing in a conference that found itself in existential peril soon after Tongue got injured, and the Beavers still working through their own uncertain rehabilitation in the NIL era, Tongue’s story could provide a salve of sorts.
“Even though it was so bad, I see it as one of the biggest blessings to ever happen to me, because it really shifted my whole mindset and outlook on things,” Tongue said of the injury. “Once you go through a trauma, once you go through some hardships, you can either let it change you for the better or let it change you for the worse.
“There’s been so much that has changed for me, and I’m grateful for that.”
— Ryan Clarke covers college sports for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com or on Twitter/X: @RyanTClarke. Find him on Bluesky: @ryantclarke.bsky.social.