Sophomore safety Angelo Grose makes an open-field tackle during the Spartans 31-21 victory against Pitt in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, 2021.
Down two defensive starters against Akron this Saturday, Michigan State’s depth is already being put to the test just a week into the 2022 season.
Depth was a problem for the Spartans a year ago -- Head Football Coach Mel Tucker said as much after the disastrous 56-7 loss in Columbus last season. With a handful of transfers and another recruiting class in the books, it’s time to see if this year’s team is better equipped to deal with roster attrition.
Darius Snow
During Monday’s press conference with the media, Tucker announced that junior linebacker Darius Snow would miss the rest of the year due to an injury suffered in the first half of the season opener.
“I feel terrible for him,” Tucker said. “He’s worked really hard, and he’s playing at a high level.”
The loss of the former four-star will certainly come as a blow to the defense. However, if there's one position where Michigan State has superb depth, it's at linebacker.
With Snow out of the game, redshirt senior Ben VanSumeren and redshirt sophomore Cal Haladay were the go-to linebackers. The latter is a proven talent, named to the freshman All-American team last year, while the former failed to really pop last year. However, VanSumeren looked extremely improved against Western Michigan, leading the team with 11 tackles and tacking on a TFL.
Fifth-year senior Aaron Brule also showed promise Friday night, especially in defensive packages designed to harass the quarterback. His performance was highlighted by a sack and a TFL against the Broncos.
A few underclassmen linebackers could earn some playing time as well, such as the former four-star sophomore Ma’a Gaoteote.
Although senior Jacoby Windmon played as a defensive end in his first game as a Spartan, he has four years of experience as a linebacker with UNLV. In a pinch, the two-time all-Mountain West defender could be a more than capable option.
“It’s next man up at the linebacker position,” Tucker said during Monday’s press conference.
Xavier Henderson
Fifth-year senior safety Xavier Henderson was Michigan State’s second defensive starter that suffered a serious injury against Western Michigan. Tucker provided little information regarding Henderson’s injury in his press conference Monday afternoon.
“He’s [Henderson] sore,” Tucker said. “We’ll just have to see how he comes along with his treatment.”
The injury is especially worrying, considering Henderson's role as a leader with the team. He's one of just a few players that was consistently named as a team captain last season. To make matters worse, the Spartans' depth at safety is not quite as strong as the linebacker's depth.
After Henderson exited the game against the Broncos, junior safety Angelo Grose took a lion’s share of the snaps. Grose looked like a capable replacement against the Broncos - he finished with 11 tackles (four of those solo) and 0.5 TFL - but tougher competition is just a few weeks away.
After Grose, most of Michigan State’s safeties are very young - Jaden Mangham, Hamp Fay, Isaiah Henderson, Khalil Majeed, A.J. Kirk and Malik Spencer are all freshmen.
As a former four-star prospect and one of the best players coming out of the 2022 class in the state of Michigan, Mangham is one to watch. ESPN pegged him as the No. 299 recruit in the country and 247Sports put him at No. 297. It’s hard to say with certainty whether Mangham is ready for more playing time yet, but his pedigree as an athlete makes him an exciting option.
If the Spartans aren’t comfortable throwing such young players into bigger roles, Tucker could also lean on the cornerback room to fill out the position. Senior cornerback Kendell Brooks is just one of the players that could switch roles to fill the team's needs.
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