Michigan State football has top 5 defensive line in 2019, per Phil Steele
According to expert Phil Steele, Michigan State football will have one of the top five defensive lines in 2019, and he’s not wrong.
Just a few short years ago, Michigan State football had one of its worst seasons not only final record-wise, but defensively, too.
The Spartans couldn’t seem to find a way into the backfield, averaging about one sack per game and finishing near the bottom of the national ranks in terms of quarterback takedowns. The defensive line didn’t have much of a push despite having one of the best freshman classes of linemen, a talented transfer and some returning starters.
That 2016 season seems like a distant memory now as the defensive line looks like one of the best in college football and expert Phil Steele agrees.
Just finished ranking the defensive lines. Three of the top 5 DLines this year are Michigan State, Utah and Auburn.
— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) May 19, 2019
Looking back, Michigan State ranked in the 100s in terms of sacks and quarterback pressures and now the Spartans have a dominant front-four which could be the best in the Big Ten. It’s hard to fathom the quick turnaround on the defensive line, but guys like Raequan Williams, Kenny Willekes, Mike Panasiuk and Jacub Panasiuk have been consistent.
That group of starters makes up one of Steele’s top-five defensive lines in college football, and then you add in Naquan Jones, Jack Camper, DeAri Todd, Zach Slade, Jacob Slade, Parks Gissinger, Deshaun Mallory and a slew of others and you have a scary group.
Will Michigan State pace the nation in sacks? It’s possible, especially if Willekes, an All-American and reigning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, returns to form after his leg injury and Williams continues to dominate on the interior.
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Not many defensive lines are as deep as Michigan State’s and that’s what could make the difference between 6-7 wins and 9-10.