Michigan State Football: Top 50 players of all time
10. Kirk Cousins
Watching Kirk Cousins develop over his three years as starter for the Spartans was a joy. He went from battling it out with Oklahoma-transfer Keith Nichol for the starting job to winning it and then excelling as the No. 1 guy. He turned into an All-Big Ten quarterback and until Connor Cook broke out over the past three seasons, he was considered the top quarterback in school history.
Cousins is second in MSU history in pass attempts, first in completions, second in completion percentage, first in yards (for the time being) and second in touchdown passes. He broke a ton of records during his time and started one of the greatest eras of MSU football under Mark Dantonio from 2009-11. He won 11 games in his junior and senior years while recording Mark Dantonio’s first bowl victory in the 2012 Outback Bowl.
The captain was known for his clutch play and his ability to be one of the best leaders to ever put on a Spartan uniform. Oh yeah, and his Hail Mary against Wisconsin with no time left that was reviewed and upheld after it was tipped into the hands of Keith Nichol.
Cousins helped lead the Spartans to the first-ever Big Ten title game that same season against Wisconsin and they lost on a heartbreaking roughing the punter call.
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he was chosen by the Redskins and he’s now the starter and one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league.
Next: 9. Darqueze Dennard