Michigan State Football: 10 bold predictions for 2019 season

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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 31: Dillon Mitchell #13 of the Oregon Ducks catches a touchdown pass over Josiah Scott #22 of the Michigan State Spartans during the second half of the Redbox Bowl at Levi’s Stadium on December 31, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

8. Josiah Scott is finalist for Thorpe Award

Through two seasons, Josiah Scott has had his fair share of ups and downs. The ups have been Freshman All-American selections and preseason All-Big Ten honors while the downs have been injuries.

Scott played extensively as a true freshman, recording 30 tackles, an interception, nine pass breakups and a tackle for loss. He was one of the fastest rising stars in the conference and his teammates saw the breakout coming from a mile away. That looked to lead into a huge sophomore season, right? Wrong.

Though it wasn’t his fault, Scott took a step back because of an injury in 2018 and played in just five games, finishing with 13 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defended. He looked great in limited action and it was encouraging to see him bounce back from his injury and look just as good as he did before he went down.

Some, including Mark Dantonio, have compared him to Darqueze Dennard with his physical play at the cornerback position and he could very well follow in the former Spartan great’s footsteps by finishing as a finalist for the Thorpe Award — awarded to the top defensive back in college football.

Will he win the award? Possibly, but he will be in the running until the bitter end.

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