Michigan State football: PFF grades reveal future star in the secondary

One thing that may have been lost in the shuffle of National Signing Day for Michigan State football was the finalization of some PFF grades.

Now, if you are like me, you know that PFF grades only matter when they show your team in a positive light. That said, throughout the 11 games I witnessed from the press box this season, true freshman Justin Denson Jr. was one that had stood out to me. The PFF grades also agreed with this assessment.

Thank you to Al Karsten for sharing these numbers on X.

The route to the field, and saving the best for last

The freshman did not play the whole year, only totaling eight games, and about half of those were solely on special teams with the occasional snap or two on defense. Denson made his debut against Maryland primarily on the special teams unit, but had saw his snaps increase as the season progressed. Amidst MSU’s 40-0 blowout of Prarie View, Denson got to play multiple series at safety. In part, due to injury, that was a taste of what was to come for the freshman from Pennsylvania. With Khalil Majeed and Dillon Tatum both out for the year, along with corner Chance Rucker by the end of the Maryland game, the opportunities for playing time exponentially increased. There were voids in both the defense and special teams, with previous special team stars being promoted to the starting 11.

One player that capitalized on that chance was Denson. He had a taste of the field against Oregon and Ohio State, with a hit stick tackle to show for it. After Malik Spencer went down right before halftime of the Indiana game, Denson was the next man up. The staff usually split the reps with fellow true freshman Jaylen Thompson taking the majority of first half snaps, and Denson took over for the second half.

Against Rutgers, that situation was amplified when Thompson went down in a scary scene around half. Thompson would later be ruled OK and released from the hospital before the game was out. However, the game had to go on, and the staff called upon Denson yet again. He had a career-high 50 snaps played and a 68.2 defensive grade for the game, also a career mark. Talk about leaving a great final impression.

A few more numbers for Justin Denson Jr.

Despite the scoring difference, with Michigan State football being outscored in the second half (where Denson played more), it appears a majority was not his fault. According to the official numbers, Denson was only targeted twice, allowing one catch for nine yards. Now, I am no expert, but allowing a single catch over multiple games (or at least halves) of football seems pretty good.

As it turns out, those numbers were really good, especially considering Denson’s lack of collegiate experience. In terms of all Power Four safeties to play 150 coverage snaps this year, Denson’s nine yards allowed was fourth-best in the “big leagues” of conferences. Also, it was not just Denson getting lucky on drops from bad reps. PFF also graded opposing passers had a 62.5 rating when throwing his way. Among all first- and second-year safeties, that mark was 16th-best in the Power Five.

Since the Indiana game, when the need for Denson was greater than ever, the player was rated out well. He had a 71.0 defensive grade, fourth among first-year Power Five safeties, and 21st amongst all safeties.

A positive note for the future

Denson was an unlikely star that Michigan State football benefitted from this season. He came onto the scene late and unexpectedly, but proved he belonged. The future is brighter than ever for Denson, as he will be entering this offseason as a player that is no longer down on the depth chart, with the staff deciding between corner or safety, but rather, placed as an equal.

The staff has a ton of talent in the safety room, with Denson, Tatum, Majeed, Spencer, Nikai Martinez, and Thompson all competing for 2-4 spots on the field at a time, among other players.

Denson is a player I am marking as one to watch and a potential breakout star as a sophomore. Iron sharpens iron, and that competition is what helped build the Spartans “No Fly Zone” in the early 2010s. Could we see that again? Only time will tell. For now, I will say this: I have a ton of hope in the future of Michigan State football.