Michigan State Football: 5 second-year players who’ll break out in 2017
A name that far too often gets forgotten is sophomore defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk. People seem to forget that he was one of the strongest recruits at Nike’s The Opening back in 2015. He opened some eyes at the major event and rose in the ranks because of it.
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Coming to Michigan State as one of four four-star defensive linemen — nicknamed the ‘Fearsome Foursome’ — he’s now just one of two remaining as Josh King and Auston Robertson have been kicked off the team. Him and Naquan Jones could face major roles on the defensive line in 2017.
Why is Panasiuk the one I chose to break out? Well, if you watched him play in 2016, you would have seen his potential. He was gleaming with it and he looked like a future star on defense. He often overpowered opposing offensive linemen and made it look easy — and he was just a true freshman.
Panasiuk finished with 14 total tackles and 0.5 sacks in 2016, but has the potential to double, and even triple, that number in his second season. With all the attrition on the defensive line, he will be looked at as a leader of the unit — along with redshirt sophomore Raequan Williams.