Michigan State Football: 5 position battles to watch this fall

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Aug 29, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Darian Hicks (2) reacts to a play during the 1st half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

2. Cornerback

This is a position battle that has been well-documented over the past two years. Since Darqueze Dennard left, his position has been a struggle to fill. Last season, Darian Hicks began the year as the starter there, but gave up too many long completions and found himself fighting for his job by the end of the season.

Now that Waynes is gone, too, the Spartans will have two positions to fill. One is already basically solid, barring a meltdown by Demetrious Cox, while the other has about four guys vying for time.

It’s going to be tough to replace two first-round draft picks, but Cox will do a great job as he’s been waiting for his chance while Vayante Copeland, Jermaine Edmondson, Arjen Colquhoun and Hicks will all be fighting for time at the field corner spot.

Recently, Dantonio said that Hicks was coming back to practice after missing a few weeks due to mono and he will be taking it easy for his first week back. He will have to fight to get back into the rotation while the other guys have gotten more reps in his absence.

The ninth-year head coach also compared Copeland, a redshirt freshman, to Dennard. That would be a pretty exciting player to look forward to, if true.

Overall, this spot is as open as any.

Next: 1. Running Back

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