His list of off-the-field accomplishments, which includes being able to play Mozart on the piano, would impress most people. But it’s his on-the-field play and excitement that’s made him stand out for the No. 8 MSU football team en route to a 7-0 start.

“I always kind of keep on pushing myself,” Misch said. “Coach Dantonio asked when I first got here, what can I bring to the team? And I said I can bring energy and I can spread energy.”

Misch’s energy is highlighted by his role on the Spartan defense as a run-stopping linebacker. With athletic young players Chris Norman and Denicos Allen flanking him, Misch has rebounded from two injuries in his career to become one of the Spartans’ top run-stoppers this season and allowed for a good rotation at the “star” position.

His hard work on and off the field is contagious, and players are feeding off of it.

“Jon Misch is a very exciting guy to be around in general,” senior linebacker Greg Jones said. “He brings a lot of motivation to the game. … He’s really cool to be around.”

Music man

Misch’s love for music began when he was young, but his involvement in other activities forced his mom to tell him no when he asked if he could play piano. That all changed, however, when he was 13 years old and went to visit his cousin.

“What he’d learned over a month of practicing I kind of picked up in 10 minutes,” Misch said. “My mom said, ‘OK, I’ll get you a piano.’ From there, I progressed really quickly, and after five years I was performing for concerts.”

Misch displayed his skills at the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl luncheon.

He said music’s prevalence in movies and how it’s entrenched in today’s culture is why he enjoys playing so much.

“There’s a lot of emotion in it,” Misch said. “As much as I’m a big time football player, I’m a very emotional person and just music in general makes me feel emotion. … Composing music helps me express my emotion a lot.”

His mother, Lori Misch, said she and Jon were being trained to play piano, and after Jon quickly picked up the notes, the instructor began using complex terms she’d never heard of and Jon understood despite being at the same level as Lori.

Jon’s energy is easy to sense on the field. As one of three senior linebackers on the team, Misch usually can be found deep in film study when he’s not on the field.

“You can always hear him, he’s always jumping around,” linebackers coach Mike Tressel said. “There’s times where the energy’s good and you’re like, ‘Jon, cool it.’ But there’s times when the energy’s not so good and we need him. It’s great to have a Jon Misch. “

Patience

Misch was granted a redshirt his first year with the team, and was able to learn about the linebacker position after playing defensive end in high school at St. Mary’s in Orchard Lake, Mich.

He burst onto the scene in the 2007 season as a redshirt freshman, recording nine tackles in his first collegiate start against Alabama-Birmingham and seeing action in 12 games that season. When it appeared he’d found a role with the team, he felt a click in his right foot while jogging during a pre-Champs Sports Bowl practice that started a long 2008 season.

“I was jogging during practice doing warm-ups and going straight, and I felt a click in my foot, and I was like ‘What is that?’” Misch said. “I kept jogging, and all of a sudden it went numb. … I was like, ‘I think I broke my foot,’ and I did.”

Misch fractured his foot a second time before the 2008 season and missed the first six games of the season, playing mostly on special teams for the season’s remainder. But he didn’t let his personal injuries get in the way of supporting his teammates.

“It made me doubt myself a little bit, and after a little while I kind of felt like I was just sitting and watching people, it felt like I was at a distance from the team,” Misch said. “The coaches really did do a good job of sticking with me and they said, ‘Watch film because when you come back were going to be using you.’”

He recovered last year, playing in all 13 games, but with a rotation at linebacker that included Jones, current senior Eric Gordon, and departed seniors Brandon Denson and Adam Decker, there wasn’t a lot of playing time to go around.

“It put a lot in perspective for him,” Lori Misch said. “He loves his teammates whether he’s out there or not, so I don’t think that changed.”

Final time

Misch has developed into a force against the run and is listed as a starter with Norman at the “star” linebacker position. Norman’s speed and coverage abilities are utilized at the position, while Misch has filled in with his hard-nosed run-stopping ability.

Misch’s 19 tackles this season, including 1.5 for a loss, have helped the team against power teams such as Wisconsin. He had two of his tackles, including one for a loss, against the Badgers.

His ability to work well with current seniors Gordon and Jones helps bolster one of the top linebacker units in the country.

After seeing the team have its best start to a season since 1966, Misch wants to have a great finish to his career. He’ll continue to work toward that Saturday at Northwestern (noon, ESPN), and hopes to stand out just like he was able to do in the senior season of his high school career.

“It’s come together,” Misch said. “I can stand on ground and say this is where I am with the Spartan football team.”