Michigan State Football: 5 questions Spartans must answer in 2018

4. Will Demetrius Cooper’s replacement be a weak point?

Following the dismissals of Josh King and Auston Robertson and transfer of Montez Sweat, Michigan State was left with an inexperienced and thin defensive end group. The Spartans had produced a total of just 11 sacks in 2016 as it was. To make things worse, the player who had recorded the most sacks, rising senior Demetrius Cooper, had been stripped of his scholarship for off-the-field issues and needed to complete a “four-stage process” to rejoin the team.

Shockingly, despite all of this, the Spartans managed to get much more pressure on the quarterback in 2017, recording 28 sacks. Former walk-on defensive end Kenny Willekes made the most of his opportunity, leading MSU with seven sacks, while Cooper worked his way back onto the field and added 2.5 sacks of his own.

While Willekes returns in 2018, Cooper has exhausted all of his eligibility, leaving the Spartans with a hole at defensive end. Rising senior Robert Bowers was expected to compete for that starting spot, but it was recently announced that he is no longer with the program, exacerbating MSU’s lack of depth at DE.

Does Michigan State have enough talent on its roster to fill this hole and generate a consistent pass rush?

A slew of young and/or inexperienced ends will compete for this role, but it’s not clear if there’s a game-changer in this group. While reproducing Cooper’s 2.5 sacks from this group shouldn’t be difficult, the Spartans need a more dominant pass rush if they hope to compete for a conference title and trip to the College Football Playoff.

MSU doesn’t currently appear to be in the mix for any, but an experienced JUCO transfer would help. If they can’t land one, the Spartans will need one of their current ends to play beyond his years and experience.