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Michigan State Football: 5 most underproductive players in Mark Dantonio Era

By Stephen Robb

ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 20: Andrew Maxwell #10 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up prior to the start of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on October 20, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 20: Andrew Maxwell #10 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up prior to the start of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on October 20, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MI – OCTOBER 20: Andrew Maxwell #10 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up prior to the start of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on October 20, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI – OCTOBER 20: Andrew Maxwell #10 of the Michigan State Spartans warms up prior to the start of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on October 20, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

1. Andrew Maxwell, QB (2009-13)

I was on the Andrew Maxwell hype train going into the 2012 season. He was a four-star Elite 11 quarterback with a rocket launcher for an arm. He had seemingly every quality a coach searches for in a signal-caller. He was even elected as a team captain and yet things did not go as planned for him. It could have been a combination of things from breaking in new receivers to a lack of protection when he dropped back to pass.

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Was it all Maxwell’s fault? Absolutely not. However, he just could not get it done. A quarterback will need to make plays when the call breaks down and current quarterback Brian Lewerke has been good at making something out of nothing.

Mark Dantonio was hoping Maxwell would get a 300-yard pass day against Central Michigan. The head coach understood that he would need that confidence boast after a rocky performance against Boise State — it never happened.

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Personally, I believe Dantonio stuck with Maxwell as long as he did to give him every opportunity. The Spartans’ coach is an excellent evaluator of talent and he saw something in Maxwell, however, what he witnessed unfortunately did not make it onto the field on Saturdays.

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