Michigan State football: Darius Snow hints at immediate return

Darius Snow has been sidelined for over a year now, but he could be returning to Michigan State football this weekend.

It’s been over a year. When the Michigan State football season kicked off last year, Darius Snow was expected to be a major contributor on defense after switching positions. He started against Western Michigan on Sept. 2 in the opener.

And then he suffered a scary injury and had to be helped off the field without putting any weight on his leg.

It was the worst possible way to open a much-anticipated season. Losing a key contributor and a potential team leader in the first game was tragic. It really took a toll on the defense and it was clear that the unit was missing him throughout the year.

Fast forward to this preseason and Snow was seen practicing without pads and a massive leg brace. Some wondered if he would ever be able to take the field again.

Well, it looks like that might just be happening as soon as this weekend.

It’s time.

— Darius Snow (@realdsnow) September 15, 2023

Obviously this tweet could mean that he’s been cleared to practice in full pads and he’s not 100 percent back yet, but it could also mean that he’ll be dressing on Saturday against Washington. He did appear in the Michigan State football hype video for this game in full pads (maybe a teaser?).

If he does return, that would be huge for the defense as Jacoby Windmon looks to be questionable, at best, for Saturday’s massive showdown after leaving the Richmond game with an injury. Snow’s return would definitely ease the pain from that loss.

We do need to temper our expectations for when Snow returns, however. He has not played in a live football game since September of 2022 and there’s a good chance he’ll be rusty and a step slower because of the injury. It’s going to take him some time to shake that rust off.

But when he’s back to close to 100 percent, he’s going to be a force. Hopefully that’s this weekend.