Michigan State Football: Dissecting the 2015 depth chart

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Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans safety RJ Williamson (26) celebrates scoring a pick 6 with safety Mark Meyers (29) during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 35-11. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary

Michigan State’s secondary got torched a lot last year. In fact, the Spartans’ pass defense finished 60th in the nation in terms of yards allowed per game (227.3). This was pretty surprising seeing as the secondary just dubbed itself the “No Fly Zone” in 2013, making that nickname look like a thing of the past in 2014.

Must Read: Michigan State’s young corners must step up in Trae Waynes’ absence

Sophomore corner, and first-year starter, Darian Hicks was made to look silly on many occasions, especially by the Ohio State Buckeyes in a midseason loss. However, he is back listed as the “OR” co-starter with senior Arjen Colquhoun. Neither has really proven anything yet, but after a few games, it will be obvious who the clear starter is.

Aug 30, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans safety RJ Williamson (26) in a game against the Western Michigan Broncos during 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

I think Hicks can regain some confidence and all the offseason work will pay off and he will win the job. Junior Jermaine Edmondson is the backup to the co-starters at “field” corner.

As for the “boundary” corner position, junior Demetrious Cox is one of the rising stars in the program and is taking the place of the departed Waynes. Cox has put in the work as a usual backup and is now the clear starter at boundary. Redshirt freshman, another exciting talent, Vayante Copeland is the backup to Cox while sophomore Justin Williams in third.

Free safety has been dubbed Montae Nicholson’s job to lose. There may not be a more hyped up player in the MSU secondary than the true sophomore. He played in every game last year and showed flashes of brilliance, looking to build on that for a possible All-American season.

Nicholson is backed up by junior Mark Myers, redshirt freshman Jalen Watts-Jackson and lesser-known junior Zac Leimbach.

The strong safety position is another solidified spot as senior RJ Williamson will be there all year long, likely with no issues. He has been solid in his time at Michigan State and will help bolster a much-improved secondary (yes, I said it even with Waynes leaving) from a season ago.

Williamson is followed by redshirt freshman Matt Morrissey and senior Chris Laneaux.

The No Fly Zone is on its way back to town.

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