Special teams<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarters:<\/em><\/strong> Hank Pepper (long snapper), Jonathan Kim (kickoff specialist), Stephen Rusnak (placekicker), Michael O\u2019Shaughnessy (punter)
\n<\/em>Reserves:<\/em><\/strong> Ryan Eckley (punter), Yousef Obeid (kicker), Tark Ahmetbasic (kicker)<\/em><\/p>\nIn the spring, I mentioned that this unit felt like a work in progress. Over the summer, a few new names appeared on the roster at kicker and punter. This remains a very underrated storyline as we approach the start of the season.<\/p>\n
Right now, without knowing much about any of these options, this feels like a mess. Eckley returns after punting once last season to compete with Ohio State transfer Michael O\u2019Shaughnessy. The former five-star prospect punted twice in his four seasons at Ohio State. Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to that competition.<\/p>\n
At kicker, Jonathan Kim remains somewhat of a mystery. Mel Tucker did make a comment in camp about the strength of his leg. Whether that\u2019s related to his place-kicking, or his kickoff talents remains unknown. Kim played at North Carolina for four seasons and only attempted one field goal (a miss). I think he\u2019s easily the best option as the kickoff specialist. In the event of an emergency, he should be a serviceable backup that\u2019s dressed every week for place-kicking duties. However, the addition of two true freshman kickers doesn\u2019t exactly inspire confidence in either guy. I\u2019d be stunned if either Obeid or Ahmetbasic wins the job. But after the kicking woes from 2022, Tucker and Ross Els should be looking anywhere and everywhere for better options.<\/p>\n
Defensive line<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarters:<\/em><\/strong> Tunmise Adeleye, Avery Dunn, Simeon Barrow, Derrick Harmon
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Jalen Sami, Khris Bogle, Zion Young, Maverick Hansen, Dre Butler, Jarrett Jackson, Bai Jobe<\/em><\/p>\nThe Spartans picked up Jalen Sami from Colorado as a transfer late in the process. His massive frame figures to be of use as a run stuffer up the middle.<\/p>\n
On paper, this appears to be MSU\u2019s deepest position. Scottie Hazelton will rotate bodies all season to utilize that depth and take advantage of certain matchups. Simeon Barrow, Derrick Harmon, Khris Bogle, and Maverick Hansen should provide solid production. But what can MSU get from the rest of these guys? Is there a younger player not listed here that is poised to crack that rotation? I have 10 guys listed. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see that number grow to 12 if they like what they see from some underclassmen.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s a criticism of this group, it\u2019s that they don\u2019t have a dominant pass rusher on the edge. Dunn, Young, and Adeleye certainly possess that potential. But the emergence of a guy who can consistently get to the quarterback will help determine just how good this group can be.<\/p>\n
Linebackers<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarters: <\/em><\/strong>Cal Haladay, Jacoby Windmon, Darius Snow
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Aaron Brule, Ma\u2019a Gaoteote, Jordan Hall<\/em><\/p>\nWhile there are no changes to the projected starters, it\u2019s worth commenting on Darius Snow. While minimal injury updates have been provided, it\u2019s not a guarantee that Snow is ready for Week 1. His status could open the door for a younger player to see more snaps early.<\/p>\n
The name that you keep hearing about is true freshman Jordan Hall. A four-star recruit and an Under Armour All-American, Hall\u2019s talents go beyond what he shows on the field. All indications are that he\u2019s a tremendous leader and also possesses that \u201cit\u201d factor. Even though he\u2019s a true freshman, he just might be good enough to force his way onto the field from day one. Given how strong Michigan State football is with Cal Haladay, Jacoby Windmon, and Snow, the fact that Hall is even in consideration for playing time is a testament to his talent.<\/p>\n
Secondary<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarters: <\/em><\/strong>Chester Kimbrough, Dillon Tatum, Jaden Mangham, Malik Spencer
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Angelo Grose, Marqui Lowery, Charles Brantley, Semar Melvin, Justin White, Armorion Smith, Terry Roberts, Caleb Coley, Khary Crump<\/em><\/p>\nReading some comments from coaches, it\u2019s clear MSU really likes their trio of sophomores in the secondary. In an ideal world, Dillon Tatum, Jaden Mangham, and Malik Spencer continue to improve and see the majority of snaps this season. But even if that\u2019s the case, the Spartans are going to need more contributions from their reserves to improve this unit.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll see if anyone can be consistent enough to hold down that starting corner spot opposite Tatum. MSU knows what it has with Angelo Grose, Chester Kimbrough, and Charles Brantley. Transfers Armorion Smith, Semar Melvin, and Terry Roberts certainly have experience. Maybe it really clicks for one of those veterans in this new scheme. Maybe a younger player like Caleb Coley improves rapidly and forces his way onto the field.<\/p>\n
Personally, I\u2019m fascinated to see how this shakes out. I would expect MSU to use a lot<\/em> of different combinations early on to see what they have and what works well together. The secondary is supposed to be Tucker\u2019s area of expertise. We\u2019ll see if he can finally find a rotation that can slow down opposing quarterbacks.<\/p>\nOffensive line<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarters: <\/em><\/strong>Nick Samac (center), J.D. Duplain (guard), Geno VanDeMark (guard), Spencer Brown (tackle), Brandon Baldwin (tackle)
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Keyshawn Blackstock, Gavin Broscious, Kevin Wigenton, Dallas Fincher, Ethan Boyd<\/em><\/p>\nFor a position group that is typically difficult to project, this seems fairly straightforward.<\/p>\n
Nick Samac has missed time during camp with an injury. But if he\u2019s good to go by Sept. 1, Samac, JD Duplain, and Spencer Brown will all be starters. Geno VanDeMark and Brandon Baldwin grabbed starting jobs late last year, and figure to be heavily in the mix again this year.<\/p>\n
The great unknown with offensive linemen is development. It\u2019s often said that the biggest change physically for college athletes comes during that first offseason on campus. For Michigan State, there are six redshirt freshmen and two redshirt sophomores on the roster. It\u2019s entirely possible one of those guys took a massive step forward and into the rotation. Unfortunately, we probably won\u2019t know who that is until halftime against Central Michigan.<\/p>\n
For now, I think MSU can go about eight or nine deep on the offensive line.<\/p>\n
Tight end<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarter: <\/em><\/strong>Maliq Carr
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Tyneil Hopper, Jaylan Franklin, Ademola Falaye<\/em><\/p>\nTight end coach Ted Gilmore offered some interesting comments regarding Maliq Carr earlier this week. Speaking with Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, Gilmore stated that Maliq \u201cis at a point where he\u2019s truly embracing that he\u2019s a tight end and everything that comes along with that.\u201d It\u2019s no secret that the coaching staff had questions about Carr\u2019s ability to be a consistent blocker. It\u2019s why he fell out of the rotation last season. It\u2019s why they pursued three tight ends from the transfer portal that are strong in that department. We\u2019ll see if Gilmore\u2019s comments hold true when the rubber meets the road on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n
Of the reserves listed, it sounds like Boise State transfer Tyneil Hopper is next in line behind Carr. In the same interview, Gilmore was complimentary of his play over the past two weeks in camp.<\/p>\n
Wide receiver<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarters: <\/em><\/strong>Tre Mosley, Montorie Foster, Alante Brown
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Christian Fitzpatrick, Tyrell Henry, Jaron Glover, Antonio Gates Jr.<\/em><\/p>\nI mentioned in the spring that this felt like a position where MSU might add a transfer. They went out and signed former Nebraska receiver Alante Brown. In 30 games for the Huskers, Brown caught 22 passes while also returning 16 kicks. His versatility and experience put him squarely in the mix to be involved in a passing attack that is looking for playmakers.<\/p>\n
To put it nicely, this group has a lot to prove.<\/p>\n
Similar to the secondary, I expect to see a large rotation of receivers early in the season. If Michigan State\u2019s passing game is to evolve into a strength, it\u2019s because one or two of the reserves listed elevate their game. It\u2019s nothing against the starters, but we\u2019ve seen them excel in complementary roles behind star receivers like Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman. The good news is that there is talent. Jay Johnson has got to find a way to maximize that talent with some of his young pass-catchers.<\/p>\n
Running back<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarter: <\/em><\/strong>Nathan Carter
\n<\/em>Reserves: <\/em><\/strong>Jalen Berger, Jaren Mangham, Jordon Simmons, Davion Primm<\/em><\/p>\nIt\u2019s been hinted at more than once in the media sessions. It\u2019s impossible to ignore the clips shared on social media. Nathan Carter is the most talented running back on this team. Does he do enough of the little things to be the starter? We\u2019ll see. The UConn transfer showed terrific quickness and burst in his first four games with the Huskies last season. When you consider that he\u2019s averaged over five yards per carry at UConn, it\u2019s intriguing to imagine what he could do at a school like Michigan State. Carter forced his way onto the field as a true freshman in 2021 and will definitely do the same in 2023.<\/p>\n
Michigan State football returns its leading rusher from 2022 in Jalen Berger. He will remain a consistent, disciplined option between the tackles and in short-yardage situations. But if MSU is going to hit some home runs in the running game, it\u2019s going to be with Carter. Speaking of home runs, don\u2019t sleep on Jordon Simmons or Jaren Mangham either. They’ve cracked a couple of long runs in their careers and are capable veterans waiting for opportunities.<\/p>\n
Quarterback<\/strong><\/h3>\nStarter: <\/em><\/strong>Noah Kim
\n<\/em>Reserve: <\/em><\/strong>Katin Houser, Sam Leavitt<\/em><\/p>\nI remain confident that Noah Kim will be the starting quarterback for Michigan State on Sept. 1. Whether that means he is the definitive starter remains to be seen. In other words, I think Kiim will be the guy to take the first snap. But that doesn\u2019t mean the job is his. I fully expect the staff to mix in both quarterbacks during the first two weeks. Neither player has legit game experience. My guess is the coaching staff wants to get a look at both guys in a game setting. Practice can\u2019t be the end of the evaluation.<\/p>\n
But I do think that Kim will prove to be MSU\u2019s best option at the position.<\/p>\n
The fact that Kim is still at MSU is noteworthy. He was not a Tucker recruit. If the current coaching staff didn\u2019t see a path forward with him, I think that would have been communicated. Instead, he served as the primary backup last season. When he did get in the game, he looked confident and prepared. Even if Payton Thorne had returned to Michigan State football this fall, the staff was going to make this an open competition. That should be an indication of how they feel about both players.<\/p>\n
The deciding factor for me is Kim\u2019s rushing ability. This figures to be an offense that wants to lean heavily on the ground game. If Johnson can do part of that with his quarterback, it can open up more options in the playbook. Additionally, with a young receiving group, there could be instances where the receivers struggle to gain separation. In that scenario, you want someone back there who has the ability to take off to get something out of a broken play. Tucker described Kim as one of the \u201c20 fastest kids on the team\u201d at Big Ten media days. For now, that should give him a slight edge over the promising redshirt freshman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What might the depth chart look like vs. CMU?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":6149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[59,246,229,191,189,249,248],"class_list":["post-6060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-featured","tag-katin-houser","tag-mel-tucker","tag-michigan-state-football","tag-michigan-state-spartans","tag-nathan-carter","tag-noah-kim"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spartanshadows.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}