Michigan State Football: 5 underclassmen who could break out in 2018

EVANSTON, IL - OCTOBER 28: Brandon Randle #26 of the Michigan State Spartans rushes against Rashawn Slater #70 of the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on October 28, 2017 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Michigan State 39-31 in triple overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 04: Matt Dotson #89 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a 27-24 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Retaining the redshirt for Matt Dotson would have been beneficial to his growth at tight end, but the sophomore gained some valuable experience in his first season.

Dotson played in 10 games as a true freshman, starting one. He finished the season with just two catches for 19 yards but his potential is through the roof. He was a four-star tight end out of Archbishop Moeller in Ohio and had some of the nation’s top teams after him, including a heated battle against Penn State to land him.

Although he was rated highly as a recruit, he had a lot of work to do as a player. He was built more as a receiving tight end than an all-around threat. He could catch the ball as good as any at the position, as well as run clean routes, but his blocking could have used some work.

Now that he’s entering his sophomore year, he’s bulked up a bit and stands 6-5, weighing in at about 250 pounds. As long as he can get the blocking thing down, he could be one of those breakout stars and one of Brian Lewerke’s favorite targets in 2018.

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