Michigan State Football: 10 storylines to follow ahead of 2018 season
2. Who backs up LJ Scott?
Who will it be? While one storyline to keep an eye on this fall will be LJ Scott’s ball security, the more pressing concern will be his backup.
The running back room thinned out, in terms of experience, this past offseason, but added some talented young players. LJ Scott is the only returning back with extended experience carrying the ball at this level but Connor Heyward is no stranger to having the rock in his hands as he returned kicks in 2017.
Sure, Heyward is looked at as the likely backup to Scott, but it’s far from a guarantee. It’ll be interesting to see who steps up and locks down that No. 2 role.
Scott has already praised incoming freshman La’Darius Jefferson and he’s also had some good things to say about Weston Bridges, a redshirt freshman coming off a knee injury. Mark Dantonio has chimed in, stating Bridges ‘looks good’ after the knee injury.
Dantonio says RB Weston Bridges looks good after knee injuries and will participate in Tuesday's first full-pads practice.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) August 6, 2018
This is a good sign for Michigan State, especially since Jefferson isn’t guaranteed to get a bulk of the carries behind Scott, nor is Heyward. Bridges could become that No. 2 guy in the run game and a nice complement to Scott.
Then there’s Elijah Collins who is an incoming freshman from Detroit. He has speed and elusiveness, but learning the offense quickly won’t be easy.
Scott’s backup standout will be one to watch.