The Football 411
Jim Comparoni | Publisher
EAST LANSING - Spring football practice will be less about competition for starting jobs this year for Michigan State, and more about strengthening and reinforcing the direction of the program.
Michigan State finished week one of spring practice on Thursday with the Spartans’ second practice of the week. Both practices were in shorts and helmets, not full pads.
Now, the Spartans will be off throughout the weekend and next week as the university releases students for spring break.
This marks the second consecutive year that Mark Dantonio’s team started spring practice prior to spring break.
Last year, Dantonio wanted the team to get back on the field as soon as possible, following a 3-9 season, no bowl game, off-field problems and leadership issues.
This year, Michigan State is coming off a 10-3 season, a No. 15 ranking and a victory in the Holiday Bowl.
The Spartans were off only eight weeks prior to the outset of spring practice on Tuesday. The players had a couple of weeks to themselves in early January and then went through a short session of winter conditioning.
Last year, the Spartans were off 13 weeks prior to beginning spring practice in late February, considering that there was no bowl game and therefore no December practices in 2016.
Despite have bowl practice this year, and a strong base of leadership in place, Dantonio decided to replicate last year’s early start to spring practice.
"We had never practiced prior to spring break, but we had practices last year before break and we liked it," Dantonio said. "I think it gets them thinking about football before they leave, and keeps them thinking about football when they're on break. Same with the coaches. It gives us a chance to think about things and let it sink in a little bit. It sort of splits it up for us."
Said senior safety Khari Willis: “It came fast but we were ready for it, we were waiting on it.”
The Spartans will resume practice on Tuesday, March 13.
“We had a lot of running in these practices,” Dantonio said. “They will have a week off to get their legs back a little bit. There's only so much you can do in shorts, but we put them in several active situations. Guys are getting repetitions. I thought it was a good start.
“All of the quarterbacks threw the ball well, we caught the ball well, and you see guys making plays. We'll find out more as we get into pads.”
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
With 19 returning starters at the 22 base positions, Michigan State is tied for second most in the FBS (Kansas is first with 20.
Out of a combined 286 possible starting positions in 2017 on offense and defense throughout the course of 13 games, the Spartans are returning 239 of those starts (84 percent).
A total of 33 players returning have starting experience (16 offense, 14 defense, three special teams).
“I think we lose three starters out of the top 22 and maybe four out of the top 44 players,” Dantonio said. “We have a large group for spring practice. We only lost 13 players. We signed 21. We have seven brand new freshmen out here that came in at mid-year so it will be exciting to watch guys like Theo Day, Xavier Henderson and Kalon Gervin.”
THINGS WE LEARNED
Things we learned during the first week of spring practice.
1. Slight position changes could be in order to fill two of the three starter vacancies.
Michigan State lost only three starters to graduation: center Brian Allen, Sam linebacker Chris Frey and strongside defensive end Demetrius Cooper.
At center, sophomore Matt Allen (6-3, 296) has a good shot to fill the job his brothers have held since Jack Allen took over in 2012. But sophomore Jordan Reid and junior Tyler Higby played center this week in practice, too.
Higby started the first half of last year at left guard, but came off the bench for the second half of the season.
Reid (6-4, 281, Soph., Detroit Cass Tech) made an impact as a reserve last year in his true freshman season, mostly at right tackle. He started at right tackle in the regular season finale at Rutgers.
With Cole Chewins (LT), David Beedle (LG), Kevin Jarvis (RG) and Luke Campbell (RT) in good position to hold down starting status through the spring, Higby and Reid will be given a look at center just to make sure the center position doesn’t go to an Allen by default.
“I think we have had an Allen on our team since 2011 and we still got ‘em,” Dantonio said. “Same with the Bulloughs. We still have Bulloughs. We’ve had them since 2010, and we added a coach (Chuck Bullough) that will maybe be here longer.”
But don’t let offensive line coach Mark Staten hear you say that four of the starting jobs have been secured. Staten fosters an environment of competition and fights complacency. There will be times when Michigan State will rep others at first-string left tackle, rather than Chewins. There will be times when Higby or Reid bumps someone from the starting group for at least a few days.
Staten will want players to work on the ability to play multiple positions this spring, as a means of manufacturing depth and versatility. And he wants none of the starters to think their starting job is set in stone.
By April, there might be one player, perhaps Allen, who emerges as the guy who is getting most of the starting reps at center. But if we know Staten, the question as to who will become the starting center in 2018 will remain open-ended for the summer, as will prod all candidates to work in fear of losing the job, and in hopes of gaining it.
2. As for the other slight position change, sophomore Brandon Randle is repping at Sam linebacker. Last year, he was listed as a ‘star’ linebacker but saw most of his playing time as a rush end in the nickel defense.
He had limited productivity as a pass rusher last year, but Michigan State is so short on edge rushers that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go back to the edge in pass rush situations next fall. But his main job as an every-down player next year is projected to be Sam linebacker, the same position Frey played.
“We are going to work Brandon at linebacker,” Dantonio said. “I think he has a great amount of ability but he has to be consistent in what he’s doing. That’s the biggest thing: consistency in performance.”
Michigan State will likely decide between Andrew Dowell or Antjuan Simmons at ‘star’ linebacker. Dowell started at that position in 2017 and for most of 2016 before losing the job. He improved last year.
But Simmons was fast and physical last year as Dowell’s back-up.
Michigan State could conceivably go with Simmons at ‘star’ and move Dowell to Frey’s old position at Sam linebacker. Dowell and Randle splitting reps at Sam, which Randle also moonlighted as a rush end on third downs, could be a way to get all four on the field, and keep Randle fresh for third downs while developing him as a standout linebacker for the future.
“We are going to work Brandon at linebacker,” Dantonio said. “I think he has a great amount of ability but he has to be consistent in what he’s doing. That’s the biggest thing: consistency in performance.”
Thompson backed-up Frey last year. He might be the most knowledgeable at the position, but Randle is more athletic. Randle needs to begin demonstrating a trustworthy level of play this spring.
Stay tuned.
3. True freshman offensive lineman Dimitri Douglas is out for the spring with an achilles injury.
Douglas is a strong, athletic prospect, one of the more undervalued signees in the 2018 recruiting class. Reporting at mid-year could have helped him get a jump on his development, plus the rare possibility of participating in spring practice five times in his career (twice before becoming active in 2019 if he redshirts this fall). But he will miss out on these 15 sessions.
4. One of the Spartan players let slip on Tuesday that sophomore ‘star’ linebacker Antjuan Simmons is sidelined with a bit of an ailment. Andrew Dowell, who started at ‘star’ linebacker last year, is also out with something non-major.
“We’ve got some guys are injured,” Dantonio said. “But I don’t want to talk about injuries right now and we have a couple of guys that may not participate this spring.”
5. Cornerback T.J. Harrell, defensive tackle Kyonta Stallworth and safety Jalen Watts-Jackson were not listed on the official roster released, Tuesday.
“There’s reasons for that and we have to work through those,” Dantonio said. “Just had to make a decision as of (Tuesday). So as of today, they’re not out here.”
Is there a chance any of them could work their way back onto the roster?
“Just to be clear … we’ll see,” Dantonio said with a smile. “We have to make some decisions yet.”
Stallworth has has accountability issues in the past. But he rallied last November and enjoyed a productive game in MSU’s 27-24 upset victory over Penn State, playing extended snaps when Mike Panasiuk was lost temporarily to an injury.
But Stallworth struggled a week later against Ohio State. (But so did Raequan Williams. Panasiuk was the only defensive tackle who played solidly against Ohio State).
Stallworth was left home at least one time in the past two seasons, failing to travel with the team to Illinois in 2016.
The former four-star recruit from Detroit has had a difficult journey in bouncing from defensive line to offensive line and back to defensive line. The breakthrough against Penn State should have signaled the beginning of a strong second half of his college career. But the roster omission raises concerns again.
As for Harrell, the Tampa, Fla., native is a potential candidate to grad-transfer away from Michigan State.
Watts-Jackson is the hero of the last-second victory at Michigan in 2015. However, he sustained a hip injury on the legendary game-winning touchdown return of Michigan’s clusterpunt malfunction. He has had trouble regaining speed since the injury and hasn’t been part of the playing group since then.
Earlier this week, freshman linebacker Darien Tipps-Clemons announced he will transfer from Michigan State. Tipps-Clemons missed all but one game of his high school senior season in 2016 with a knee injury. He attempted to make a splash on the scout team last year but did not impress. He has played only one game of football since November of 2015 and now will likely sit out another year while transferring. Michigan State signed four linebackers for 2018 with the idea that Tipps-Clemons was going to have a hard time becoming a contributor.
“Guys want to play, guys transfer,” Dantonio said. “There’s nothing personal about it. They just want to play a little bit more than they’re playing. That’s usually the case when you have a lot of good young players and a lot of players returning that are starting, at the wide receiver position especially.”
6. Brian Lewerke said he watched every throw he made last year during winter film sessions. He felt he threw off-balance a little too much. He is focusing on improving his footwork, being more consistent in that department. He feels improvement in that area will lead to better accuracy.
7. Ask people about redshirt freshman quarterback Rocky Lombardi, and people smile. Lewerke did, and so did Dantonio
“Rocky is an exciting player,” Dantonio said. “He was exciting last year. He is another commodity for this program. He’s a proven winner from high school. He’s tough, he’s big, he’s raw, he’s athletic. It will be very exciting to watch him this spring.”
Lombardi is expected to get second-string reps throughout the spring, and occasionally some first-string reps just as a contingency plan.
“Rocky is a very vocal guy,” Lewerke said. “He is well-respected among all the guys. With his wrestling background, he’s a tough guy, so guys respect that.”
Mid-year enrollee Theo Day is getting acclimated to college life and won’t push Lombardi for second-string duty this spring. So Lombardi can relax while learning and soaking the second-string reps.
“It’s going to be real interesting to watch Rocky and also Theo Day,” Dantonio said. “But Brian Lewerke is a proven commodity. He had a tremendous sophomore season and he has to build on that going forward.
8. Freshman running back Weston Bridges is practicing. Sort of.
He suffered a serious knee injury late in his senior year at Copley (Ohio) High School. He redshirted at Michigan State last fall and endured a health setback.
There were indications that he might miss practice time this spring, but he was back out there with the Spartans on Tuesday. He isn’t likely to participate in contact drills this spring, but he is back on the field, getting warm.
"He may not participate this spring but he looks good, he looks like he is ready to go this fall," Dantonio said.
9. With Bridges on the mend, Madre London having transferred, and L.J. Scott not likely to get heavy work this spring, sophomore Connor Heyward will get a ton of reps as a first-string tailback. Walk-on Alante Thomas is in position to get a healthy dose of second-string reps this spring. Thomas is the younger brother of former Michigan State stand-out defensive end Lawrence Thomas,
He’s a small back, with good vision and change of direction. He doesn’t have great home run speed, but he is elusive and physical. He transferred to Michigan State from Saginaw Valley State, where he redshirted in 2016 while being sidelined with an injury. Thomas played on the Michigan State scout team last fall.
“And the guys coming in, Elijah Collins and LaDarius Jefferson, are two guys that are going to get looks right away (next August),” Dantonio said. “And that’s why we recruited two of them. We felt like this (attrition) may happen.”
10. With Michigan State thin on defensive ends, walk-on Matt Seybert has moved from tight end to defensive end. Seybert is a transfer from the University of Buffalo. Walk-on transfers are often long shots to get into the playing group, but Seybert has some ability and Michigan State needs bodies at d-end, especially this spring.
11. MSU’s academics are in good shape.
“We had our best semester academically, I think, in the history of Michigan State football last fall,” Dantonio said.
SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE) –
No. 1 – Tuesday, Feb. 27
No. 2 – Thursday, March 1
No. 3 – Tuesday, March 13
No. 4 – Thursday, March 15
No. 5 – Friday/Saturday, March 16/17
No. 6 – Tuesday, March 20
No. 7 – Thursday, March 22
No. 8 – Friday/Saturday, March 23/24
No. 9 – Tuesday, March 27
No. 10 – Thursday, March 29
No. 11 – Tuesday, April 3
No. 12 – Thursday, April 5
No. 13 – Friday, April 6
No. 14 – Spring Game, Saturday, April 7, 5 p.m. (BTN/BTN2Go)
No. 15 – Tuesday, April 10
Jim Comparoni | Publisher
EAST LANSING - Spring football practice will be less about competition for starting jobs this year for Michigan State, and more about strengthening and reinforcing the direction of the program.
Michigan State finished week one of spring practice on Thursday with the Spartans’ second practice of the week. Both practices were in shorts and helmets, not full pads.
Now, the Spartans will be off throughout the weekend and next week as the university releases students for spring break.
This marks the second consecutive year that Mark Dantonio’s team started spring practice prior to spring break.
Last year, Dantonio wanted the team to get back on the field as soon as possible, following a 3-9 season, no bowl game, off-field problems and leadership issues.
This year, Michigan State is coming off a 10-3 season, a No. 15 ranking and a victory in the Holiday Bowl.
The Spartans were off only eight weeks prior to the outset of spring practice on Tuesday. The players had a couple of weeks to themselves in early January and then went through a short session of winter conditioning.
Last year, the Spartans were off 13 weeks prior to beginning spring practice in late February, considering that there was no bowl game and therefore no December practices in 2016.
Despite have bowl practice this year, and a strong base of leadership in place, Dantonio decided to replicate last year’s early start to spring practice.
"We had never practiced prior to spring break, but we had practices last year before break and we liked it," Dantonio said. "I think it gets them thinking about football before they leave, and keeps them thinking about football when they're on break. Same with the coaches. It gives us a chance to think about things and let it sink in a little bit. It sort of splits it up for us."
Said senior safety Khari Willis: “It came fast but we were ready for it, we were waiting on it.”
The Spartans will resume practice on Tuesday, March 13.
“We had a lot of running in these practices,” Dantonio said. “They will have a week off to get their legs back a little bit. There's only so much you can do in shorts, but we put them in several active situations. Guys are getting repetitions. I thought it was a good start.
“All of the quarterbacks threw the ball well, we caught the ball well, and you see guys making plays. We'll find out more as we get into pads.”
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
With 19 returning starters at the 22 base positions, Michigan State is tied for second most in the FBS (Kansas is first with 20.
Out of a combined 286 possible starting positions in 2017 on offense and defense throughout the course of 13 games, the Spartans are returning 239 of those starts (84 percent).
A total of 33 players returning have starting experience (16 offense, 14 defense, three special teams).
“I think we lose three starters out of the top 22 and maybe four out of the top 44 players,” Dantonio said. “We have a large group for spring practice. We only lost 13 players. We signed 21. We have seven brand new freshmen out here that came in at mid-year so it will be exciting to watch guys like Theo Day, Xavier Henderson and Kalon Gervin.”
THINGS WE LEARNED
Things we learned during the first week of spring practice.
1. Slight position changes could be in order to fill two of the three starter vacancies.
Michigan State lost only three starters to graduation: center Brian Allen, Sam linebacker Chris Frey and strongside defensive end Demetrius Cooper.
At center, sophomore Matt Allen (6-3, 296) has a good shot to fill the job his brothers have held since Jack Allen took over in 2012. But sophomore Jordan Reid and junior Tyler Higby played center this week in practice, too.
Higby started the first half of last year at left guard, but came off the bench for the second half of the season.
Reid (6-4, 281, Soph., Detroit Cass Tech) made an impact as a reserve last year in his true freshman season, mostly at right tackle. He started at right tackle in the regular season finale at Rutgers.
With Cole Chewins (LT), David Beedle (LG), Kevin Jarvis (RG) and Luke Campbell (RT) in good position to hold down starting status through the spring, Higby and Reid will be given a look at center just to make sure the center position doesn’t go to an Allen by default.
“I think we have had an Allen on our team since 2011 and we still got ‘em,” Dantonio said. “Same with the Bulloughs. We still have Bulloughs. We’ve had them since 2010, and we added a coach (Chuck Bullough) that will maybe be here longer.”
But don’t let offensive line coach Mark Staten hear you say that four of the starting jobs have been secured. Staten fosters an environment of competition and fights complacency. There will be times when Michigan State will rep others at first-string left tackle, rather than Chewins. There will be times when Higby or Reid bumps someone from the starting group for at least a few days.
Staten will want players to work on the ability to play multiple positions this spring, as a means of manufacturing depth and versatility. And he wants none of the starters to think their starting job is set in stone.
By April, there might be one player, perhaps Allen, who emerges as the guy who is getting most of the starting reps at center. But if we know Staten, the question as to who will become the starting center in 2018 will remain open-ended for the summer, as will prod all candidates to work in fear of losing the job, and in hopes of gaining it.
2. As for the other slight position change, sophomore Brandon Randle is repping at Sam linebacker. Last year, he was listed as a ‘star’ linebacker but saw most of his playing time as a rush end in the nickel defense.
He had limited productivity as a pass rusher last year, but Michigan State is so short on edge rushers that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go back to the edge in pass rush situations next fall. But his main job as an every-down player next year is projected to be Sam linebacker, the same position Frey played.
“We are going to work Brandon at linebacker,” Dantonio said. “I think he has a great amount of ability but he has to be consistent in what he’s doing. That’s the biggest thing: consistency in performance.”
Michigan State will likely decide between Andrew Dowell or Antjuan Simmons at ‘star’ linebacker. Dowell started at that position in 2017 and for most of 2016 before losing the job. He improved last year.
But Simmons was fast and physical last year as Dowell’s back-up.
Michigan State could conceivably go with Simmons at ‘star’ and move Dowell to Frey’s old position at Sam linebacker. Dowell and Randle splitting reps at Sam, which Randle also moonlighted as a rush end on third downs, could be a way to get all four on the field, and keep Randle fresh for third downs while developing him as a standout linebacker for the future.
“We are going to work Brandon at linebacker,” Dantonio said. “I think he has a great amount of ability but he has to be consistent in what he’s doing. That’s the biggest thing: consistency in performance.”
Thompson backed-up Frey last year. He might be the most knowledgeable at the position, but Randle is more athletic. Randle needs to begin demonstrating a trustworthy level of play this spring.
Stay tuned.
3. True freshman offensive lineman Dimitri Douglas is out for the spring with an achilles injury.
Douglas is a strong, athletic prospect, one of the more undervalued signees in the 2018 recruiting class. Reporting at mid-year could have helped him get a jump on his development, plus the rare possibility of participating in spring practice five times in his career (twice before becoming active in 2019 if he redshirts this fall). But he will miss out on these 15 sessions.
4. One of the Spartan players let slip on Tuesday that sophomore ‘star’ linebacker Antjuan Simmons is sidelined with a bit of an ailment. Andrew Dowell, who started at ‘star’ linebacker last year, is also out with something non-major.
“We’ve got some guys are injured,” Dantonio said. “But I don’t want to talk about injuries right now and we have a couple of guys that may not participate this spring.”
5. Cornerback T.J. Harrell, defensive tackle Kyonta Stallworth and safety Jalen Watts-Jackson were not listed on the official roster released, Tuesday.
“There’s reasons for that and we have to work through those,” Dantonio said. “Just had to make a decision as of (Tuesday). So as of today, they’re not out here.”
Is there a chance any of them could work their way back onto the roster?
“Just to be clear … we’ll see,” Dantonio said with a smile. “We have to make some decisions yet.”
Stallworth has has accountability issues in the past. But he rallied last November and enjoyed a productive game in MSU’s 27-24 upset victory over Penn State, playing extended snaps when Mike Panasiuk was lost temporarily to an injury.
But Stallworth struggled a week later against Ohio State. (But so did Raequan Williams. Panasiuk was the only defensive tackle who played solidly against Ohio State).
Stallworth was left home at least one time in the past two seasons, failing to travel with the team to Illinois in 2016.
The former four-star recruit from Detroit has had a difficult journey in bouncing from defensive line to offensive line and back to defensive line. The breakthrough against Penn State should have signaled the beginning of a strong second half of his college career. But the roster omission raises concerns again.
As for Harrell, the Tampa, Fla., native is a potential candidate to grad-transfer away from Michigan State.
Watts-Jackson is the hero of the last-second victory at Michigan in 2015. However, he sustained a hip injury on the legendary game-winning touchdown return of Michigan’s clusterpunt malfunction. He has had trouble regaining speed since the injury and hasn’t been part of the playing group since then.
Earlier this week, freshman linebacker Darien Tipps-Clemons announced he will transfer from Michigan State. Tipps-Clemons missed all but one game of his high school senior season in 2016 with a knee injury. He attempted to make a splash on the scout team last year but did not impress. He has played only one game of football since November of 2015 and now will likely sit out another year while transferring. Michigan State signed four linebackers for 2018 with the idea that Tipps-Clemons was going to have a hard time becoming a contributor.
“Guys want to play, guys transfer,” Dantonio said. “There’s nothing personal about it. They just want to play a little bit more than they’re playing. That’s usually the case when you have a lot of good young players and a lot of players returning that are starting, at the wide receiver position especially.”
6. Brian Lewerke said he watched every throw he made last year during winter film sessions. He felt he threw off-balance a little too much. He is focusing on improving his footwork, being more consistent in that department. He feels improvement in that area will lead to better accuracy.
7. Ask people about redshirt freshman quarterback Rocky Lombardi, and people smile. Lewerke did, and so did Dantonio
“Rocky is an exciting player,” Dantonio said. “He was exciting last year. He is another commodity for this program. He’s a proven winner from high school. He’s tough, he’s big, he’s raw, he’s athletic. It will be very exciting to watch him this spring.”
Lombardi is expected to get second-string reps throughout the spring, and occasionally some first-string reps just as a contingency plan.
“Rocky is a very vocal guy,” Lewerke said. “He is well-respected among all the guys. With his wrestling background, he’s a tough guy, so guys respect that.”
Mid-year enrollee Theo Day is getting acclimated to college life and won’t push Lombardi for second-string duty this spring. So Lombardi can relax while learning and soaking the second-string reps.
“It’s going to be real interesting to watch Rocky and also Theo Day,” Dantonio said. “But Brian Lewerke is a proven commodity. He had a tremendous sophomore season and he has to build on that going forward.
8. Freshman running back Weston Bridges is practicing. Sort of.
He suffered a serious knee injury late in his senior year at Copley (Ohio) High School. He redshirted at Michigan State last fall and endured a health setback.
There were indications that he might miss practice time this spring, but he was back out there with the Spartans on Tuesday. He isn’t likely to participate in contact drills this spring, but he is back on the field, getting warm.
"He may not participate this spring but he looks good, he looks like he is ready to go this fall," Dantonio said.
9. With Bridges on the mend, Madre London having transferred, and L.J. Scott not likely to get heavy work this spring, sophomore Connor Heyward will get a ton of reps as a first-string tailback. Walk-on Alante Thomas is in position to get a healthy dose of second-string reps this spring. Thomas is the younger brother of former Michigan State stand-out defensive end Lawrence Thomas,
He’s a small back, with good vision and change of direction. He doesn’t have great home run speed, but he is elusive and physical. He transferred to Michigan State from Saginaw Valley State, where he redshirted in 2016 while being sidelined with an injury. Thomas played on the Michigan State scout team last fall.
“And the guys coming in, Elijah Collins and LaDarius Jefferson, are two guys that are going to get looks right away (next August),” Dantonio said. “And that’s why we recruited two of them. We felt like this (attrition) may happen.”
10. With Michigan State thin on defensive ends, walk-on Matt Seybert has moved from tight end to defensive end. Seybert is a transfer from the University of Buffalo. Walk-on transfers are often long shots to get into the playing group, but Seybert has some ability and Michigan State needs bodies at d-end, especially this spring.
11. MSU’s academics are in good shape.
“We had our best semester academically, I think, in the history of Michigan State football last fall,” Dantonio said.
SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE) –
No. 1 – Tuesday, Feb. 27
No. 2 – Thursday, March 1
No. 3 – Tuesday, March 13
No. 4 – Thursday, March 15
No. 5 – Friday/Saturday, March 16/17
No. 6 – Tuesday, March 20
No. 7 – Thursday, March 22
No. 8 – Friday/Saturday, March 23/24
No. 9 – Tuesday, March 27
No. 10 – Thursday, March 29
No. 11 – Tuesday, April 3
No. 12 – Thursday, April 5
No. 13 – Friday, April 6
No. 14 – Spring Game, Saturday, April 7, 5 p.m. (BTN/BTN2Go)
No. 15 – Tuesday, April 10
