“It starts with our players certainly at the ground level,” Dantonio said. “When you look at some of our seniors that are returning, some of the captains that are returning, such as (senior linebacker) Greg Jones and (junior quarterback) Kirk cousnins. (I’m) very, very excited about that aspect.”

After being selected as the media’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season, Jones was chosen as the preseason Defensive Player of the Year heading into 2010.

For Jones to come back for his senior season after a strong junior campaign says a lot about him, Dantonio said.

“I think not only from a physical standpoint, but from a psychological standpoint, it talks about his maturity as a person and talks about our overall program,” Dantonio said.

Dantonio said he expects Jones to be the anchor of a much-improved defense, especially in the defensive backfield, where the Spartans were the second-worst team in the Big Ten when it came to intercepting passes.

“We’ve got great players in the secondary right now with great ball skills,” Dantonio said. “And when I look at our secondary, right now you see guys that can catch the ball very, very well in terms of deep ball judgement and things of that nature.”

On the offensive side of the ball, Dantonio said he was happy to have returning starter Kirk Cousins back. With weapons for Cousins to utilize all over the field, such as sophomore running backs Larry Caper and Edwin Baker and junior wide receiver Keshawn Martin, Dantonio said MSU should be able to keep defenses guessing next season.

“It should gives a great combination in terms of running and throwing the football,” Dantonio said. “Which I think you have to have great balance as an offense to be truly successful.”

Still, in spite of all the talent, Dantonio said MSU can’t afford to make mistakes if it wants to have a strong 2010 season.

“The margin of error is very, very small here,” Dantonio said. “So we need to move forward. I like our players’ attitudes.”