Michigan State Football: 5 most irreplaceable defensive players for 2017

There’s something to be said about a team that has solid senior leadership. Usually, those teams succeed both on and off the field. As you could see with the 2016 Spartans, there just wasn’t enough of it. Although Tyler O’Connor and Riley Bullough seemed to be solid leaders, they couldn’t make up for the rumored “toxic” locker room.

Now that the necessary attrition has taken place, the players who truly want to be in East Lansing remain. Demetrius Cooper is entering his senior season and, after some off-field issues, he has proven he’s willing to put in the work to be a contributor to the turnaround.

Cooper is one of very few seniors on the team and a veteran on the thin defensive line. This unit needs some veteran leadership and Cooper will be an important leader by example. He can teach the younger players that it takes more than skill to be a great student-athlete.

Not just that, but Cooper has the potential to be a star on the defense. He was expected to be Shilique Calhoun 2.0 in 2016, but fell short of expectations. Michigan State absolutely needs him to turn it around in 2017.