Michigan State Football: Brandon Randle making move from LB to DE

Talented redshirt freshman linebacker Brandon Randle is switching positions from linebacker to defensive end for Michigan State football.

There have been times under Mark Dantonio when a player has been asked to switch positions for the betterment of the team. Michigan State football has been one of those programs that’s not afraid to change a player’s position based on need, but it’s up to the actual athlete to decide if he’s going to embrace it.

Must Read: MSU Football: All-time Mark Dantonio era team

Redshirt freshman linebacker Brandon Randle has been given an opportunity to start with a slight position change. He’s moving from his normal Sam linebacker position to defensive end, according to Jeremy Wanemuende of 247Sports.

While this may seem like a huge deal, it’s actually not that uncommon. There are programs in college football that embrace the linebacker/end hybrid and guys like LSU’s Arden Key excel in that regard. Randle isn’t a big guy, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing just 225 pounds, but neither is Key and the latter is a projected All-American end/linebacker.

Dantonio is famous for saying that if he had to guess, without looking at star rankings and just based on play, Randle would have been a five-star recruit in his eyes. He was named an Army All-American and was one of the Spartans’ highly-touted recruits in 2016.

Making a move like this will not only help the Spartans’ depth, with the departing player hurting it to begin with, but it will also give his collegiate career a jumpstart.

Next: MSU Recruiting: 5 bold predictions for July

We could see Randle making a name for himself on a national level this fall thanks to the position change. Not often do you see a kid who can run a 4.4 40-yard dash playing defensive end. Scary sight for offenses.