Michigan State Football: 5 upperclassmen who need to step up in 2017
Michigan State’s top two tight ends are gone from last year’s team, leaving major vacancies on the two-deep depth chart. Returning, though, is junior Matt Sokol. He’s played sparingly over his first two seasons with the Spartans, well, because he hasn’t had to contribute with Josiah Price becoming one of the most reliable pass-catching tight ends in school history.
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Jamal Lyles was a serviceable backup, so the need for Sokol was not dire. Now that he’s entering his junior season as the presumed starter, there will be a lot of weight riding on his success.
Brian Lewerke will be in his first full season as the team’s starting quarterback and young gunslingers usually rely on tight ends as a safety valve. Moreover, the Michigan State offense uses tight ends a lot and Dantonio will need a dependable receiver/blocker.
Sokol has just two catches for 26 yards in his career, but he’s going to need to be ‘the guy’ at tight end for the Spartans if the offense is going to click. He’s going to be pushed by Noah Davis and Matt Dotson early on, so if he doesn’t impress, there’s a good chance he’ll be watching from the sidelines come Big Ten play.