Michigan State Football: 5 defensive players with most to prove in 2019

EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 20: Shakur Brown #29 of the Michigan State Spartans fumbles the ball during a punt return while being tackled by Jordan Glasgow #29 of the Michigan Wolverines at Spartan Stadium on October 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan won the game 21-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 17: Helmets of the Michigan State Spartans during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

Like Shakur Brown, DeAri Todd has been talked about as a potential breakout candidate but has never lived up to that billing in his first two seasons on campus.

Sure, he was on track to break out before the 2018 season as a scout team star during his freshman season in 2017, but he redshirted and never saw the field. Much more of the same took place in 2018 as he didn’t see any action despite being eligible, but he was named an Academic All-Big Ten selection.

It was a disappointing year, to say the least, and it was tough to see after he had played well on the scout team and earned coaches’ and teammates’ praises the year before and into the offseason.

If Todd is going to have a successful Michigan State career, he needs to step up in 2019 and become a solid contributor. The pressure is on for him to crack the two-deep depth chart because there’s going to be a need for a guy like him on the defensive line next year.

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