Michigan State Football: 5 position battles to watch this fall
Oct 25, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) and defensive end Evan Jones (85) and defensive lineman Joel Heath (92) takes the field prior to a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into the 2015 season, there are many unanswered questions related to Michigan State football. Who will start at running back? Who will won the cornerback job opposite of Demetrious Cox? Are the receivers going to pick up where last year’s left off?
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With all of the uncertainties going into the season, there are also many strong areas on the team. Positions such as linebacker, at least two-thirds of them, quarterback, offensive line and defensive line are all deep positions that will have no issue being successful this year.
Outsiders would look at this MSU football program and assume that the defense is taking a major step back with losses of Kurtis Drummond, Trae Waynes and Marcus Rush while the offense will struggle, too, with departures of Tony Lippett, Keith Mumphery, Nick Hill and Jeremy Langford, but that’s not the case.
Michigan State reloads nowadays, it doesn’t rebuild like it did in years past. Mark Dantonio has created a winning culture around East Lansing that is hard to match.
So when guys like Waynes, Lippett, Drummond and Langford — all leaders of their respective positions — depart for the next level, the Spartans have guys waiting in the wings for an opportunity.
Although there is plenty of talent on the roster to last this team a while, there are still those unanswered questions at a few positions that will have people wondering who will come out on top and lead the team.
Let’s take a look at the top five position battles to watch this fall.
Next: Honorable Mention: Linebacker