But with Robinson now gone and Adams leaving after next year, MSU’s 2012 recruiting class shows how far ahead Dantonio’s thinking is and how determined he is to keep the secondary strong.

Of MSU’s 17 incoming freshmen in the 2012 recruiting class, the Spartans welcome four defensive backs. And not just average players, but tremendous monsters of athletes in Demetrious Cox, Jermaine Edmondson, Mark Meyers and Ezra Robinson.

Probably the best find for MSU is Cox — a 6-foot-1, 192-pound four-star safety from Pennsylvania whose athleticism hardly limits him to the secondary. Although Dantonio said he was recruited as a safety, he noted that Cox has experience at linebacker, quarterback, wide receiver and tailback.

He’s versatile, he can hit, he can run and Dantonio expects him to be an immediate contributor. Oh, and he’s a black belt in karate. I wouldn’t want to mess with this kid.

With Dantonio calling Edmondson “a true cover-corner who can run and accelerate” and saying Meyers and Robinson have valuable intangibles MSU looks for, I’d say the secondary is looking pretty good for the next couple years, especially with MSU’s current defense generally being so young.

It’s no accident that Dantonio’s playing and coaching experience directly correlates to the high quality of MSU’s defense. He has an eye for talent, and this recruiting class has got it.

Michelle Martinelli is The State News sports editor. She can be reached at mart1114@msu.edu.