Thursday, January 1, 2026

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Sports | Football

FOOTBALL

Fall means football

Now into the second week of preseason camp, the MSU football team had transitioned from practicing in shorts to wearing pads and having two-a-day practices leading up to the first preseason jersey scrimmage on Saturday. After the first week of camp and having analyzed the scrimmage, head coach Mark Dantonio recognized MSU’s successes — seen in senior quarterback Kirk Cousins’ performance and the progression of the youthful offensive line — but said the team not only needs to be more consistent in its game-situation performance, but also in the effort it puts forth. A notable area of inconsistency was with the players’ conditioning, particularly with the defense, which started off the scrimmage playing very well but cooled off as time went on. “When your conditioning goes, emotionally you go, as well — that’s what I saw,” Dantonio said.

FOOTBALL

Young offensive line learns from veterans

Although the team has the added support of junior running backs Edwin Baker and Larry Caper and sophomore running back Le’Veon Bell, MSU is going to miss the blocking reinforcements from former tight end Charlie Gantt. And heading into the season, the youthful offensive line remains one of the team’s biggest question marks.

FOOTBALL

Spartans land four-star receiver

On the day when many teams made noise at the Big Ten Media Day, MSU made some of its own along the recruiting trail. Scout.com reports that MSU landed two verbal commitments, one from four-star wide receiver Aaron Burbridge and the other from three-star defensive back Jermaine Edmondson. Burbridge, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver from Farmington Hills, Mich., becomes the third receiver to sign on for Mark Dantonio’s 2012 class, shucking offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.

FOOTBALL

Four undrafted former Spartans move quickly post lockout

Receiver Mark Dell, linebacker Eric Gordon and offensive lineman D.J. Young all announced via Twitter Monday night that they had reached agreements with NFL teams. Dell, who caught 51 passes and six touchdowns last season, agreed to sign with the Denver Broncos, Young with the Arizona Cardinals and Gordon with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

FOOTBALL

Former Spartan hosts camp intended to teach football, life lessons

Having seen many of his friends put education on the back burner to pursue professional football, former MSU linebacker and current director of player development for the Miami Dolphins Kaleb Thornhill wants to help a younger generation keep from making the same mistake. With the help of various sponsors, Thornhill is hosting a week of football and life skills in a branch of the 4th and 1 Football Camp — a free football camp for at-risk high school athletes — on MSU’s campus and at Lansing Catholic Central High School, in Lansing.

FOOTBALL

New turf arriving at Spartan Stadium

The first of the fleet of trucks carrying the sod from Graff’s Turf Farms in Colorado arrived at Spartan Stadium on Tuesday morning and crews of turf experts were hard at work to make sure it is in game shape before MSU opens its season Sept. 2 against Youngstown State.

FOOTBALL

Devoted Spartan remembered by friends, family

To those who knew him, no one was as devoted to MSU as William Faunce. Simply called Bill by his friends and family, the former MSU sociology professor and chairperson had a connection with the school from a young age, something he carried with him until his death from liver cancer July 3 at the age of 83.

FOOTBALL

University to decide use of bricks from MSC smokestack

Starting in mid-August, approximately 500-600 red bricks salvaged during the demolition of the historic MSC smokestack will be available for purchase at the MSU Surplus Store. Gail DeGood, a spokesperson for the MSU Surplus Store, said the bricks will be sold at either $25 or $50 a piece and will include a certificate of authenticity.