Michigan State Football: 5 upperclassmen poised for 2018 breakout

This is sort of a curveball. I was going to tab Justin Layne for this spot, but he’s already has his breakout, of sorts. He has molded into one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten, but what’s more impressive is the fact that he moved from receiver and passed up talented players like Tyson Smith and Josh Butler.

In fact, Butler was a four-star prospect from Texas, ranked the No. 31 cornerback in his class. He committed to Michigan State and redshirted as a freshman in 2015. Now in his junior season, he’s ready to take off, even if he’s not listed as a starter at cornerback.

The 6-foot, 175-pound junior played the latter part of his 2017 season with a heavy heart as his father passed away. It’s not easy being away from family on the opposite half of the country and trying to play football, but Butler tried to make it work — he missed the Ohio State game for the funeral. With a fresh start in 2018, he could make his mark on the field.

There’s no doubting he has the tools to become a top-level defensive back in the Big Ten, but he needs to get on the field enough to have an impact.

It won’t be easy with Layne and Josiah Scott starting ahead of him, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t look like a starter himself in 2018.

Butler had 12 tackles and three pass deflections as a sophomore, but I could see his role increase exponentially in 2018 as the first corner off the bench.