Michigan State Football: Top 5 spring 2019 breakout candidates

Spring is here which means Michigan State football is gearing up to take the field. Which Spartans could break out this spring?

The annual Green & White Game is right around the corner and Michigan State has some question marks to answer this spring.

Mark Dantonio has already said the offense is regaining some of its swagger and the differences are obvious, but he won’t showcase a ton of it during the spring game as to not give anything away. Should we believe that? The head coach has no reason to lie, but fans want to see immediate changes, and that’s fair.

The Spartans have the talent to be one of the best teams in the Big Ten but they need the offense to show up this season instead of just the defense.

Who could break out for the Spartans this spring?

The running back position is relatively wide open after a rough 2018 season where LJ Scott was hurt for the majority of the year and Connor Heyward didn’t have that knack for dodging defenders. That’s where redshirt freshman Eli Collins could come into play.

The Detroit Jesuit product could become the second athlete from the school to break out for the Spartans in the past couple of years — the first being Cassius Winston.

Collins was always touted for his speed and home-run threat ability, but we have yet to see it in live action. After the first closed-doors scrimmage this spring, Mark Dantonio had some good things to say about his young back, stating he made some plays.

La’Darius Jefferson will be an option in the backfield with Weston Bridges and Connor Heyward, but Collins could break out and surprise everyone, piecing together a breakout season. We will find out just how close he is to bursting through on Saturday.