tOfficial Spring Football 2015 Thread

[Floyd Robertson]

Starts today.  Post updates when you see 'em.

6 questions about Michigan State football at the start of spring drills 

Cornerbacks:
Rising junior Darian Hicks is a favorite to win back his starting job, but as Barnett has said, it will have to be the "2015" Hicks and not the 2014 version that lost his starting job. There will be plenty of competition from senior Arjen Colquhoun to junior Jermaine Edmondson, sophomore Justin Williams and redshirt freshmen Vayante Copeland and Jalen Watts-Jackson.

Assistant coach Mark Snyder
Dantonio's last two coaching hires -- defensive line coach Ron Burton and co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Jim Bollman -- paid immediate dividends and unquestionably lifted the level of play at their respective positions. No one is asking Snyder to fill Pat Narduzzi's shoes, but Snyder will handle some of the same duties coaching the front seven Narduzzi once did while also taking over responsibility for the special teams.

[InTenSity]

I hope our ST improves this year. Didn't Dantonio say in one of his first years, that ST was just as important as O and D? The last 2 years I thought it was one of the weaker units, outside of punting.

[Guest]

Live on MeerKat at 3PM. Blackwell was taking requests yesterday for desired shots.

[Floyd Robertson]

Live on MeerKat at 3PM.   Blackwell was taking requests yesterday for desired shots.

WTF is this MeerKat thing.  People need to stop with this technology stuff.  First it was Instagram, now it's MeerKat.

[Guest]

WTF is this MeerKat thing.  People need to stop with this technology stuff.  First it was Instagram, now it's MeerKat.

Twitter video streaming. I'm debating whether it's worth trying to make it work to watch a FB practice.

[InTenSity]

WTF is this MeerKat thing.  People need to stop with this technology stuff.  First it was Instagram, now it's MeerKat.

[tTito]

Michigan State starts spring football practice Tuesday and ends it with the April 25 spring game at Spartan Stadium. Joe Rexrode looks at five story lines for the Spartans this spring.

Air support

MSU has gone with "No Fly Zone" as a nickname for its secondary the past two years, but everyone is gone from the incredible 2013 defensive backfield that earned the title. Darqueze Dennard and Isaiah Lewis left after that season, and now Trae Waynes and Kurtis Drummond join them -- Waynes considered a lock to follow Dennard as a first-round NFL draft pick. MSU appears to be in good shape at safety. This spring will start to tell the story of its cornerbacks. Darian Hicks is back, and there's youth behind him.

Manning the middle

Barring a big surprise, it's going to be Riley Bullough vs. Jon Reschke for the middle linebacker job. And right now, Bullough appears to be the leader at that position. The Spartans also have several contenders at the coverage-heavy star linebacker position, and young players hoping to get some snaps behind Ed Davis on the strong side. It'll be interesting to see whether Tyriq Thompson, who enrolled early this spring, can put himself in position to compete for game snaps in the fall. He's athletic and impressive.

Carries up for grabs

Jeremy Langford's two surprising seasons as a star running back are over, backup Nick Hill is gone, and backup Delton Williams is suspended indefinitely after he was charged with brandishing a firearm on campus. This spring was supposed to be a competition between Williams, Gerald Holmes and Madre London, but it may be Holmes and London getting all the carries – and perhaps moving past Williams. Freshman L.J. Scott will be a big factor when he arrives in the fall, either way.







DETROIT FREE PRESS

NFL draft: MSU's Langford wants to stay home with Lions


Coaching shuffle

For the first time in Mark Dantonio's tenure, Pat Narduzzi won't be prowling the sidelines and getting the defense riled up. Narduzzi is trying to build a program in Pittsburgh, and Harlon Barnett and Mike Tressel will spend their first spring as co-defensive coordinators. This is their time to establish themselves in new roles and also figure a few things about the splitting of duties. And new defensive assistant coach Mark Snyder will get a chance to start coaching his new players.

Line dances

A pair of versatile defensive tackles from last season, Lawrence Thomas and Malik McDowell, both could get a chance to show their stuff on the outside -- though shifting tackles to end is less of a need with Shilique Calhoun returning. MSU needs other ends to step up, and Montez Sweat is one to watch. Offensively, Benny McGowan opened eyes during winter conditioning. Can he elevate himself to the interior rotation? And what about athletic Miguel Machado, the JUCO transfer who redshirted last season?

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at

[Guest]

Schedule, roster, depth chart

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/SpringPracticeSchedule.pdf

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/SpringRoster.pdf

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/SpringDepthChart.pdf

[Guest]

Notes:

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/SpringPreviewNotes.pdf

FIRST-AND-10 –
• Michigan State, which capped off an 11-2 season with a dramatic 20-point comeback win over No. 4
Baylor in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic, begins its ninth spring practice under head coach
Mark Dantonio on Tuesday, March 24. The Spartans will conclude their 15 spring practices with the annual Green-White
Spring Game on Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The spring game will be televised on BTN.

• Michigan State, which has posted a 24-3 record since 2013, is the only school in the nation to win a Bowl
Championship Series game during the 2013 season (24-20 over Stanford in 2014 Rose Bowl Game) and a
New Year’s Six bowl game (42-41 over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl Classic) last season.

• MSU was ranked No. 5 in the final 2014 Associated Press and USA TODAY/Amway Coaches Polls. The
Spartans finished ranked among the nation’s top five for the second year in a row (No. 3 in both polls in
2013) - a program first since 1965-66. It also marked MSU’s 14th Top 10 finish in the history of the AP Poll.
Michigan State has been ranked in the AP Poll for 25 consecutive weeks, including 17 weeks in the Top 10.
It marked MSU’s fifth Top 10 finish in the history of the USA TODAY Coaches Poll (began administering the
poll in 1991), including its third under Dantonio. Dantonio has led Michigan State to Top 25 finishes in five
of the last seven seasons (2008: No. 24 in both polls; 2010: No. 14 in both polls; 2011: No. 10 USA TODAY/
No. 11 AP; 2013: No. 3 in both polls; and 2014: No. 5 in both polls).

• Michigan State has recorded 53 wins since 2010 - the most in the Big Ten over the last five seasons and
seventh most in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. The Spartans have posted five consecutive winning
seasons, a first for the program since recording six in a row from 1985-90. MSU has won 24 games the past
two seasons, the most in back-to-back seasons in school history (previous: 22 in 2010-11) and tied for third
most in the FBS (Florida State: 27; Ohio State: 26; MSU/Oregon: 24).

• Michigan State has recorded four double-digit win seasons in the past five years (11 in 2010, 11 in 2011,
school-record 13 in 2013, 11 in 2014). MSU is just the third Big Ten program, along with Michigan and Ohio
State, to win at least 11 games four times in a five-year span as a conference member. Michigan State has
won at least 10 games in a season six times (10 in 1965, 10 in 1999, 11 in 2010, 11 in 2011, 13 in 2013, 11
in 2014), including four (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014) under head coach Mark Dantonio.

• Michigan State returns a total of 52 letterwinners and 17 starters in 2015. The Spartans welcome back 26
letterwinners and seven starters from last season’s record-breaking offense that set school single-season
marks for points (559), scoring average (43.0 ppg.), offensive touchdowns (70), total offense (6,510 yards),
rushing touchdowns (44), rushing yards (3,057) and first downs (321). MSU brings back fi fth-year senior
Connor Cook, who enters his third year as the starting quarterback, to lead the offense. A second-team
All-Big Ten selection, Cook led the Big Ten in passing as a junior in 2014 (3,214 yards; 247.2 ypg.) and
ranked second in touchdown passes (24). On defense, the Spartans return 23 letterwinners and seven
starters from a unit that ranked in the NCAA FBS Top 10 in total defense (No. 8 at 315.8 ypg.) for the fourth
consecutive year. Three of the four starters on the defensive line are back, including two-time second-team
All-American Shilique Calhoun at defensive end.

• With its 42-41 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over Baylor, MSU extended its school-record bowl winning streak
to four games, tied for the longest in Big Ten history (2012 Outback over No. 18 Georgia, 2012 Buffalo Wild
Wings over TCU, 2014 Rose Bowl over No. 5 Stanford, 2015 Cotton Bowl over No. 4 Baylor). It also equals
the longest active bowl winning streak in the FBS. Michigan State is one of just five schools in the FBS to
win bowl games in each of the last four seasons (Louisiana-Lafayette, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas A&M).

[Guest]

Joe Rexrode ‏@joerexrode 16m16 minutes ago

My pal @drewsharp asks MD if MSU can still have a chip on its shoulder. "Yeah, all you have to do is read the paper every now and then."

[steveschneider]

Joe Rexrode ‏@joerexrode 16m16 minutes ago

My pal @drewsharp asks MD if MSU can still have a chip on its shoulder. "Yeah, all you have to do is read the paper every now and then."

[Floyd Robertson]

Joe Rexrode ‏@joerexrode 16m16 minutes ago

My pal @drewsharp asks MD if MSU can still have a chip on its shoulder. "Yeah, all you have to do is read the paper every now and then."

pwned

[Floyd Robertson]

Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio opens spring drills with new faces atop depth chart

Senior Lawrence Thomas has moved from defensive tackle to defensive end, and junior Demetrious Cox will being spring at cornerback after spending the majority of his first three seasons at safety.

Dantonio said sophomore middle linebacker Jon Reschke will be cleared for contact seven to 10 days into spring football drills so he can compete with projected starter Riley Bullough.

Junior kicker Kevin Cronin is atop the depth chart on account of Michael Geiger being sidelined for spring practice on account of hip surgery. Dantonio said he expects Geiger to be healthy for the start of fall drills.

Redshirt freshman Madre London and sophomore Gerald Holmes are bracketed as starting tailbacks, and redshirt freshman T.J. Harrell will get work at tailback as well as the outside linebacker position.
Senior Aaron Burbridge and junior Monty Madaris are penciled in as starting receivers along with R.J. Shelton.

[Wally Fairway]

Here is the most important question going into the new season -

is there a twitter feed that I need to follow, now that #3Sadler4Heisman is gone?

[Guest]

Here is the most important question going into the new season -

is there a twitter feed that I need to follow, now that #3Sadler4Heisman is gone?

So far no one has stepped up to fill that role.

[Floyd Robertson]

Michigan State LB Darien Harris 'didn't even really notice' absence of former DC Pat Narduzzi

EAST LANSING -- Senior outside linebacker Darien Harris hadn't given the absence of departed defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi a second thought until asked about it following Michigan State's first spring practice on Tuesday.

"It was a little bit different,'' Harris said, "but to be honest, you didn't even really notice it.

"We're all obviously thankful for the time we had coach Narduzzi, it was fantastic, and we're extremely proud of what he's been able to do.

Hopefully there won't be any more questions about Narduzzi's absence.

[Floyd Robertson]

Michigan State WR Monty Madaris gets first shot at starting lineup, can finally live up to recruiting hype

Senior DeAnthony Arnett and sophomore Trey Kilgore are listed behind Madaris on the depth chart at the "Z," and seniors AJ Troup and Andre Sims Jr. along with juniors Tres Barksdale and Matt Macksood are in the hunt for a spot in the rotation.

[Guest]

This would be huge for the season if it continues......

Joe Rexrode ‏@joerexrode 17m17 minutes ago

Dantonio, continuing to assault the Internet, says DeAnthony Arnett "has stepped forward" and "has been exciting to watch" in practice.

[Floyd Robertson]

Coach D had this to say about Gerald Owens:

Joe Rexrode @joerexrode  ·  28m 28 minutes ago
Interesting. Mark Dantonio says Gerald Owens has some "big, big upside" at RB, just has to get under 260, but "he's a load.

[Floyd Robertson]

On MacGarrett Kings, Jr.

Joe Rexrode @joerexrode  ·  25m 25 minutes ago
By NATO? RT @MikeWScout Dantonio added "there are things in place" regarding Kings. In other words, being handled internationally.

Joe is a funny guy.

[Guest]

He's huge.

I think Gerald Owens has some big, big upside.

"He has to get his weight under 260. We get to there, we'll be just fine, but he's a load.''

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/04/michigan_state_football_heavy.html

[Guest]

One of the five best football teams in the country is a little more than a week into an important spring season in East Lansing. The spotlight is in its usual position -- pointed elsewhere.

Michigan State has lost only three games in the last two seasons. It returns what head coach Mark Dantonio considers maybe the best senior class he has had during the program’s consistent rise. Quarterback Connor Cook may be the program’s most prolific passer ever before his career is done. And yet, in a world where the Belk Bowl posts better TV ratings than March Madness, Michigan State’s football program continues its march forward relatively unnoticed.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/117486/spring-checkup-michigan-state-spartans

[Floyd Robertson]

5 Michigan State football position battles to keep an eye on this spring 

I don't remember seeing Vayante Copeland's name in the mix with Cox and Hicks for CB yet.  Exciting.

[Guest]

Lots of info in this article. It was nice to see Shane Jones mentioned, he'd kinda fallen off the radar since recruiting.

■Depth at linebacker: The first-team linebackers remain Darien Harris at the star, Riley Bullough inside and Ed Davis on the strong side. Dantonio said Jon Reschke (shoulder) is likely looking at next week to return to full contact and try to make up ground on Bullough. Shane Jones and Byron Bullough are next in line inside.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2015/04/10/michigan-state-spartans-bob-knickerbocker/25563913/

[HT]

Interested in the CB battle. My bet is Copeland beat out Hicks.

[Ass Dan]

Interested in the CB battle. My bet is Copeland beat out Hicks.

Cox and Copeland are the front runners rn for that spot, from what I can tell

[HT]

Interested in the CB battle. My bet is Copeland beat out Hicks.

Cox and Copeland are the front runners rn for that spot, from what I can tell

Copeland has way more size than Hicks, while having what I'm assuming is good speed (he was a state champion in track in HS). Hicks just never was able to bulk up enough to jam WRs at the line, and that's a must in MSU's defense.

[Guest]

EAST LANSING -- Mark Dantonio's first spring session without Pat Narduzzi at his side as a defensive coordinator is going about as well as possible, the Michigan State head coach said on Thursday night.

Narduzzi, who orchestrated the past four Spartans' defenses to a top 10 national rank in total defense, left Michigan State following the team's 42-41 win over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl to become head coach at Pittsburgh.

Secondary coach Harlon Barnett and linebackers coach Mike Tressel were elevated to co-defensive coordinators, with former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder joining the staff to work with the front seven and special teams.

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/04/michigan_state_football_defens_8.html

[Guest]

They did not have to teach him how to hit. Nicholson displayed that penchant on defense and special teams last season, and his side activities this spring include a fun competition with freshman running back Madre London – to see which can flatten the other more often.

So who's winning?

"I'd have to say me," Nicholson said with a laugh.

"I mean, granted, Madre's a great running back … he's really coming into his own this spring," Nicholson said, "and he's gonna be a big part of our team."

And that's something Nicholson and the rest of the MSU defense have realized this spring – the hits they're taking from the MSU offense should have them well-prepared for the real thing.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2015/04/10/michigan-state-football-montae-nicholson/25576339/

[Guest]

East Lansing — For the second straight year, Michigan State will watch one of its cornerbacks get selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

To say that those are large shoes to fill on the defense goes without saying, and that position battle this spring has been a spirited one. But coach Mark Dantonio was quick to point out Thursday that losing Darqueze Dennard and Trae Waynes doesn't mean his defense is void of talent.

In fact, he sees a front seven jam-packed with playmakers and experience, even with the departure of defensive end Marcus Rush and middle linebacker Taiwan Jones.

"You lose two corners in the last two years that are first-round picks," he said after Michigan State completed its seventh spring practice. "That's a very high ceiling that you have to reach sometimes, and that's what we have to do to play at this level.

"But we've got a lot of guys returning on defense as well when you look at our defensive front. (Lawrence Thomas) has played a lot of football and is playing at one defensive end. ... Shilique (Calhoun) is at the other one and you have Joel Heath and Malik McDowell (at tackle). ... Ed Davis is an outstanding linebacker. Riley (Bullough) has played, Chris Frye has played, Darien Harris has started for us. So we've got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football for us on the front seven and it shows."

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state-university/2015/04/09/dantonio-says-talent-will-fill-gaps-departures/25554997/

[Watch Out Pylon!]

He's huge.

I think Gerald Owens has some big, big upside.

"He has to get his weight under 260. We get to there, we'll be just fine, but he's a load.''

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/04/michigan_state_football_heavy.html

That's a HUGE BITCH!

[Guest]

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 7m7 minutes ago
Riley Bullough celebrates after a goal-line stand, as Malik McDowell stuffed Madre London on fourth-and-goal play.

[Guest]

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 10m10 minutes ago

Darian Hicks returned an interception 83 yards to open the scoring in Friday's controlled scrimmage.

[Guest]

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 15m15 minutes ago

Montae Nicholson returned two interceptions for touchdowns (53 and 54 yards) and recorded three tackles and two PBUs.

[Guest]

MSU Football Staff ‏@SpartanFBstaff 39m39 minutes ago

Spartan Stadium press box view! Twas a great day for football. #V4MSU

[Guest]

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 13s14 seconds ago

Spring Scrimmage No. 1 | Rushing Leaders: Madre London 15-47; Gerald Holmes 14-39. #Spartans

[HT]

Like hearing the defense win. They're the unit I was more concerned about, given the uncertainty at CB.

[SpartanInNH]

Live on MeerKat at 3PM.   Blackwell was taking requests yesterday for desired shots.

WTF is this MeerKat thing.  People need to stop with this technology stuff.  First it was Instagram, now it's MeerKat.

[Guest]

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 1m1 minute ago
Dantonio: “The front seven played extremely well. We stopped the run and made it tough to pass because we pressured the quarterback. ...

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 2m2 minutes ago
Dantonio (on Nicholson): " ... had impressive runs after the catch. He’s a special player." #Spartans

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 3m3 minutes ago
Dantonio: "Montae Nicholson had a big day with the two picks for touchdowns. Montae really made two outstanding plays and ...

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 4m4 minutes ago

Mark Dantonio: “I was very impressed with our defense. It sort of picked up where we left off last year." #Spartans

[Guest]

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 8m8 minutes ago
Tackle Leaders: Riley Bullough 4-1-5; Arjen Colquhoun 3-2-5; Darien Harris 3-1-4; Lawrence Thomas 3-1-4; Montae Nicholson 2-1-3 (2 INTs).

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 11m11 minutes ago
Receiving Leaders (continued): Jamal Lyles 3-46 (TD). #Spartans

Spartan Football ‏@MSU_Football 12m12 minutes ago
Receiving Leaders: Monty Madaris 4-60; R.J. Shelton 4-36; AJ Troup 4-34; DeAnthony Arnett 4-33; Macgarrett Kings Jr. 3-62 (1 TD). #Spartans

========
A DeAnthony sighting!!!

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