With success comes recognition and several MSU football players have big expectations in the upcoming season. A majority of the annual college football awards have put out watch lists that feature Spartans.
MSU junior wide receiver R.J. Shelton is one of 44 players named to the 2015 Paul Hornung Award Watch List.
MSU senior quarterback Connor Cook has been named to the 2015 Maxwell Award Watch List. The Maxwell Award has been presented to college football’s player of the year since 1937, according to a press release announcing the watch list.
In more award watch list news, senior defensive end Shilique Calhoun and senior linebacker Ed Davis have been named to the 2015 Bednarik Award Watch List.
MSU athletic director Mark Hollis has been named the recipient of the John L. Toner award, presented annually by the The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
In typical fashion, head football coach and grand marshal of the Quicken Loans 400 Mark Dantonio commanded "start your engines" to the drivers in his calm monotone voice. Despite the calm nature of his voice you could see the excitement in his face which showcases a rare smile.
It was a big weekend for MSU football on the recruiting trail—just last week the class of 2016 had no defensive lineman and in a span of four days the Spartans have received verbal commitments from two defensive ends and two defensive tackles in what could be an impressive front four in the years to come. Shortly before the first commitment of the weekend four-star wide receiver commit Cameron Chambers gave a hint that some recruiting news would be on the way. Chambers and the other members of the class of 2016 or the "dream team" as they've dubbed themselves have been pushing hard for other recruits to commit to MSU.
MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio has been ranked the No. 3 coach in college football, according to The Sporting News' new rankings, which included all 128 FBS football coaches across the country.
Delton Williams, the sophomore running back who allegedly brandished a firearm during a road rage incident on March 16, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to violating an MSU weapons ordinance as part of a plea deal, a court official said.
Baseball: Ryan Krill Ryan Krill has been part of the senior leadership group that has the Spartans sitting at No.
Mike Zimmer strolled along the indoor practice fields at the Duffy Daughtery building this past March during MSU's pro day, with a keen eye on Trae Waynes, who participated in position drills in front of multiple NFL general managers and scouts. Zimmer, the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings, was one of three sideline generals who arrived to East Lansing to catch a glimpse of the available talent in April 30 draft in Chicago. Waynes, longly considered to be the top cornerback on the board, could be taken as high as No.
Kaden Moore stood on the practice fields behind the Duffy Daugherty building with his friends and father Saturday morning, stargazing at the players running various drills. Kaden was one of the 1,700 attendees at the annual youth clinic, hosted by the football program to provide children aged 12 or younger an opportunity to participate in activities on the same field as their heroes do. Before the players strapped up the helmets and shoulder pads for the annual spring game in front of the general public, they donned their jerseys and sweatpants, avoiding the cold while also enjoying the time they had with the younger ones. It wasn't just the kids who got a kick out of meeting the likes of Shilique Calhoun and Connor Cook, the parents, with their cameras and autographed footballs held at their sides, took in the 90 minutes of excitement while standing next to future NFL stars, including some local players from their home town. "Kevin Cronin is a Traverse City boy, so we taught him in school, and we got a picture with him," Scott Moore of Elk Rapids said.
On a chilly cloudy day, there were people tailgating on Shaw Lane and there was a buzz in East Lansing. No, it's not the fall, but there was a record 48,000 people in Spartan Stadium to watch the annual spring game, in which the White team defeated the Green team 9-3.
Justin Caine sat in the Sparrow Hospital when he was 10-years-old on the first day of fourth grade, diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor hemorrhage, ending his dream of playing organized football. It was a tumor that had been growing since the day Caine was born, but was undetected by his family until it was too late.
The Spartans have their seventh commitment in the class of 2016 and fourth out of the state of Ohio.
Connor Cook and the White team will be eating steak tonight as Cook led the White squad to a 9-3 victory in the annual Green and White spring exhibition game. The first score of the day came from a three-yard run by senior offensive lineman Jack Allen.
In what is expected to be a big day for MSU on the recruiting trail, the first couple of dominoes fell shortly before the spring game began. Four-star wide receiver Justin Layne out of Cleveland joins Messiah deWeaver as one of the top recruits out of Ohio.
With the MSU football spring game this Saturday there will be several themes and players to watch out for in the game. Defense While all of the starters will not be playing together it will be interesting to see the Spartans on defense without defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi at the helm. Cornerback Battle The starting cornerback battle will be a big one for the team as the team must replace Trae Waynes and two-way player Tony Lippett who was starting opposite Waynes at the end of last season.
By Geoff Preston gpreston@statenews.com This Saturday green and white will fill the campus, grills will be lit and people will come from all across the state by the thousands to watch MSU play football. That might sound odd, considering the calendar says April and not September. Saturday will mark the annual Green and White game, which accounts for a glorified scrimmage in Spartan Stadium to send everyone into a football frenzy. About time too, the season is only a little more than four months away. Spring games across the country have become a spectate, what you will see in East Lansing on what is expected to be a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon will probably be tame in comparison to other places across the country. In Columbus, Ohio 99,391 people came out to see the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes play a game against each other.
Why did Shilique Calhoun elected to remain in East Lansing for his senior year and pass up the NFL?