Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Football: 5 position battles to watch in spring 2019

By Connor Muldowney

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 03: Connor Heyward #11 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates with Tyler Higby #70 and Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans after scoring a touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Capital One Field on November 3, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 03: Connor Heyward #11 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates with Tyler Higby #70 and Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans after scoring a touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Capital One Field on November 3, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 24: Running back Connor Heyward #11 of the Michigan State Spartans carries the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during during the first half at Spartan Stadium on November 24, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 24: Running back Connor Heyward #11 of the Michigan State Spartans carries the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during during the first half at Spartan Stadium on November 24, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

1. Running Back

All eyes will be on the backfield as spring ball kicks off and it’s because there’s no clear starter and just a handful of potential lead backs.

LJ Scott is gone after a disappointing senior season where he was just never healthy. He showed flashes of his 2017 self but his offensive line didn’t do him any favors as he was held to just 264 yards and no touchdowns on 3.3 yards per touch.

Connor Heyward took the reins in the backfield, rushing for a team-high 529 yards and five touchdowns on 4.5 yards per carry. He did catch 32 passes for 249 yards which makes me believe he’ll be more of a receiver out of the backfield in 2019 than a runner. He just didn’t have the elusiveness or vision that other backs on the team may have.

Who could push Heyward?

There’s Weston Bridges who I thought didn’t get enough touches last season after looking decent on minimal reps. He could be a dark-horse contender to start.

La’Darius Jefferson is probably the favorite to push Heyward after rushing for 255 yards and two touchdowns. The former quarterback needs to be more consistent with his vision and he could be a special player.

Next. 5 takeaways from Big Ten title-clinching win over Michigan. dark

Don’t sleep on Elijah Collins, either. The redshirt freshman didn’t see the field much last season, but he has the speed that could set him apart from the rest of the pack.

Home/Spartans Football