Michigan State Football: 3 things to expect in spring practice

With spring practice approaching, here are three things we can expect to see from Michigan State football.

With spring practice finally here, Michigan State football is looking to improve on many areas that were lacking in 2016. The Spartans are experiencing some attrition from the 2016 team, which isn’t exactly a bad team.

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Team chemistry is heading in the right direction now, but what should we expect from spring practice?

1. Brian Lewerke is

Brian Lewerke going into Spring practice is the most experienced quarterback on the roster. Dantonio has already mentioned that he is in the driver’s seat in this QB competition. The coaches were highly impressed with Lewerke even in the last open race of 2016. Under the circumstances Lewerke performed well. By the time MSU went to him the season was in jeopardy and the coaching staff was grasping for answers.

Lewerke is a playmaker and Spartan fans witnessed that in the Michigan game. This kid feeds off competition and I believe that it will be obvious by the time the Green and White game rolls around that Lewerke will have a vice grip on the  starting job. This will benefit the young receiving core and help the offense grow as they head into August.

2. Donnie Corley will become the No. 1 receiver

I know there’s speculation about who will be with the team in spring practice pending the sexual assault investigation, but as of right now, Donnie Corley is the No. 1 guy.

Corley showed flashes of genius on both sides of the ball. However, his real future is as a starting wide receiver for the Spartans. It is a difficult challenge for any freshman to come into a program and perform at a high level. The expectations were sky-high for Corley and despite some struggle at times, he excelled overall. Now with a full season of experience under his belt I fully expect him to be the go-to receiver for Lewerke.

It’s next to impossible for receivers to establish a groove without having a consistent quarterback, who they have built chemistry with. This spring is critical, because Lewerke must build off of last season. Michigan State will have even more new receivers in the fold yet Corley is the playmaker to watch for. He will establish himself this offseason as the go-to playmaker that he was in high school.

3. Defensive line will become a strength

William Gholston and Jerel Worthy both took a huge steps their second year starting and I believe this young defensive line will do the same. In fact, both Gholston and Worthy both had their best season in their second year.

Again, pending the investigation, Raequan Williams, Josh King, Auston Robertson and Mike Panasiuk will all be a major part of the line and will be much improved after a season that saw them struggle, slightly. There will points in 2016 where fans witnessed the potential of this squad, however, there were many growing pains.

I anticipate that the issues of getting pressure to the QB and consistency will be problems of the past. This line has potential and talent and now they have some experience. This offseason is their time to put it together and they can. They must if MSU is going to have a decent 2017 campaign.