Michigan State football: 3 players to watch vs. Richmond

Michigan State football opened the season with a win and is looking to improve to 2-0. Who should we be watching vs. Richmond?

Despite a messy first half, the Michigan State football team ended Friday night with a blowout win over the Central Michigan Chippewas. There are plenty of takeaways to be had from the contest, but a few players specifically caught my attention.

Here are three guys to keep an on when MSU plays Richmond on Saturday.

WR Jaron Glover

Redshirt freshman Jaron Glover wasn’t a very hyped name heading into the 2023 season, but rest assured that he’s on everyone’s radar now. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound wideout ended the CMU game with three catches for 75 yards, including 32 and 33-yard catches. His performance came as somewhat of a surprise, given that this was only his second game at the collegiate level. Expectations aside, the MSU offense needed a spark, and Glover provided it.

Now, I’ll be watching to see if he can keep it up.

Granted, Richmond is hardly a powerhouse, but if the young receiver can go out there and produce again, it’ll bode well for his future. It’s true that the losses of Jayden Reed, Keon Coleman, and Germie Bernard removed a lot of talent and production from the squad. But it may be addition by subtraction — their absences have opened up a ton of opportunity for other guys. Glover is one of those guys, and if he continually rises to the occasion and becomes a reliable target, it’ll be very beneficial for the Spartans offense.

DB Dillon Tatum

Tatum was a four-star defensive back in MSU’s 2022 recruiting class, and although he was decent last year, he wasn’t blowing anyone away. The recent CMU game shows that the young defensive back may be ready to put himself on the map, though. Tatum was all over the field in that contest, making plays and contributing to a stalwart defensive performance. He has the talent to succeed, we all know that, and if the recent CMU game is any indicator, this could be a breakout season.

If Tatum truly can step up and become a force in the secondary, it’ll be a breath of fresh air for Michigan State football faithful, given how atrocious the pass defense has been in recent years. A player to keep an eye on, for sure.

K Jonathan Kim

Stephen Rusnak. Jack Stone. Ben Patton. Next up: Jonathan Kim. The kicker position has been a revolving door of failure for Michigan State ever since long-time kicker Matt Coghlin departed the program after 2021.

Can Kim finally be the one to change to change that?

He’s certainly off to a promising start, considering he hit a 47-yard try and was perfect on his extra points versus the Chippewas. The 47-yard kick especially really caught my eye, because I don’t remember any MSU kicker hitting from that sort of distance recently (Stone did once in 2022 but that’s it). Field goals are the one thing that don’t differ based on opponent, so the Richmond game will be another great opportunity for Kim to prove himself.

The lack of a consistent field goal unit has certainly cost the Spartans previously, and if Kim can provide a reasonably reliable presence, I’ll be very happy.

Final thoughts

There are a few other players I’m very interested to watch on Saturday, but I’ll leave it at three for now. The Spartans should coast to victory against lowly Richmond, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get another good look at some guys. Be careful about how many conclusions you draw from such a low-profile game, but these guys are definitely worth keeping an eye on.