Michigan State Football: 5 second-year players due for big jump in 2020

Michigan State football is in an odd place heading into the 2020 season. A new staff, no spring ball and some second-year players ready to star.

Contrary to popular belief, Mark Dantonio didn’t leave the cupboard completely bare for Mel Tucker in 2020. The former head coach may have finished with a mediocre recruiting class, on paper, but his 2019 group had some future stars.

Now it’s up to Tucker to figure out which second-year players will have an impact for the Spartans in 2020 and if any deserve starting jobs.

There are some important second-year players to monitor. One plays the most important position on offense, one could fill a major void on the defensive line, one could help return the ‘No Fly Zone’ to East Lansing, one could be a No. 1 target and the last one might just be the most highly-touted offensive lineman to come to Michigan State in over a decade.

Which second-year players are due for a major jump in 2020?

We didn’t see much of Michael Fletcher in 2019 — six snaps against Michigan, to be exact — but big things are in this second-year defensive end’s future.

Fletcher came to Michigan State as a four-star and one of the top 10 recruits in the state of Michigan. He had the ideal size at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds and plenty of potential to make an immediate impact, but with the depth chart relatively stacked on the defensive line last season, he redshirted.

Admittedly, I’ve been high on Fletcher ever since he committed because I liked his style of play and thought it would give the Spartans’ defensive line a major boost. That didn’t quite happen in year one, but with a new staff and plenty of vacancies along that defensive line, Fletcher will get his shot.

Along with Adam Berghorst (unless he remains at tight end), we’ll see a redshirt freshman takeover at the defensive end spot.