The MSU football program is heading into its second official week of spring practice, with plenty of buoyancy and confidence. However, the upcoming season may be filled with inflated expectations and an uncertainty that will leave the team asking themselves a few questions before the Spring Green and White Game at Spartan Stadium on April 25.
A combined 15-1 Big Ten record in the past two seasons, with the single loss coming at the hands of eventual NCAA national champion Ohio State, MSU remains one of the elites in the conference. But that could change if the recent issues with police, the absence of NFL draft hopefuls and the uprising of certain programs in the conference continue to be a problem once the season gets underway.
That being said, here are three things to look out for this spring from the Spartans.
Replacing Pat Narduzzi
From 2011 to 2014, Pat Narduzzi was responsible for MSU becoming the only team to rank in the FBS Top 10 in total defense and rushing defense. After turning down multiple job offers during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Spartans, including a head coaching position with the University of Connecticut, the 48-year-old has taken his talent to the Pittsburgh Panthers as their new head coach.
Head coach Mark Dantonio has replaced the 2013 Broyles recipient with Mike Tressel and Harlon Barnett to form a co-defensive coordinator unit. Tressel has spent the last eight seasons as the linebackers and special team coordinator, while Barnett, a four-year letter winner at MSU from 1986 to 1989 as a defensive back, spent eight seasons as the secondary coach. Both of them have been on Dantonio’s staff since he arrived in East Lansing in 2007.
Police Matters
Handling even one player who is dealing with issues with the police can be frustrating and difficult, but when there are two, that can cause major problems for a program on and off the field. That’s what Dantonio is facing right now, as both wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. and running back Delton Williams have been arrested in less than a month.
This is now Kings’ second arrest since March of last year. His first was an alcohol-related incident, which caused him to miss the remainder of spring practice in 2014. He finished last season with 29 catches on 404 yards receiving and one touchdown.
Williams, who rushed for 316 yards on carries and five touchdowns last season as the No. 3 running back, pleaded not guilty to brandishing a firearm on MSU’s campus at the intersection of Farm and Shaw Lane during a road rage incident. He has been suspended with no foreseeable date of a possible return.
Carrying The Load
With Williams out of the depth chart this spring, it’s left a hole needing to be filled by sophomore Gerald Holmes, redshirt freshmen Madre London and Gerald Owens, and four-star commit, L.J. Scott.
As a redshirt freshman last season and the only player from the list who has on-field experience, Holmes played in three games, rushing for 44 yards on 15 carries. Scott, the 6-foot, 220-pound running back, received praise from the Spartans for not flipping his commit from MSU after receiving multiple offers from other well-respected programs.
Nick Hill, one of two running backs from last year’s team who will be leaving for a potential professional career, said following the MSU pro day he believes London will get the nod, due to his agility and great hands.
