Michigan State Football: Joe Bachie may be Mark Dantonio’s best LB yet
After piecing together an All-Big Ten season as a sophomore, Michigan State football star Joe Bachie is proving to be Mark Dantonio’s best linebacker yet.
It all started with a 3-9 season. Joe Bachie found himself on the field for the Spartans, burning a redshirt that looked like it might stick throughout a successful year.
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Michigan State coaches knew that if they didn’t burn redshirts after a horrid 2016 start, the 2017 season could be just as painful with an inexperienced roster. Bachie was one of those guys who had been proving himself in practice and earned some playing time, seeing the field extensively against Maryland when Riley Bullough was ejected.
From there, it was evident. Bachie was going to be an All-Big Ten talent. He was flying around the field, making the right reads and leading the defense as a true freshman.
All he did was set himself up for major expectations as a sophomore. And guess what? He lived up to them, and then some.
In fact, he finished the 2017 season with 100 total tackles, 7.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, two pass deflections and two forced fumbles. He was a stat-sheet stuffer and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors — though many believe he deserved better.
Heading into his junior season, the bar has been set at an all-time high and he may be on track to achieving the best season of any linebacker under Mark Dantonio.
Athlon Sports even named Bachie a third-team All-American this preseason.
The pieces are there on defense so opponents won’t be game-planning around just him, but the Spartans have a strong front-seven and an elite defensive backfield. This will allow the All-Big Ten middle linebacker to roam the field relatively freely and make plays as if he’s not the center of attention.
Michigan State’s defense is in good hands with the elite junior linebacker and it could turn into All-American consideration by season’s end.
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Greg Jones, Max Bullough, Denicos Allen, Joe Bachie. The latter has the potential to be the best of the bunch before his career at Michigan State is done.