Michigan State Football: New-look secondary could be problem for Big Ten

With a good chunk of Michigan State football’s defense leaving, many will get their first chance to showcase their abilities in Mel Tucker’s first year.

I really love Josh Butler. Everything he does off the field is amazing and his story is incredible. But in 2019, he struggled as a starter for Mark Dantonio. And perhaps this is indicative of the issues that Dantonio created during his entire tenure with the Spartans. He was too loyal to the guys that he liked.

That was the story for many players over the past decade and a half. He always preached that teams with senior leaders will be the most successful ones. That philosophy paid off this past season with a memorable win against Wake Forest in the, um, something bowl. Doesn’t matter what the bowl was called, Michigan State won it.

But to get back to the point, I believe that behind the starters that had been staples on this defense for the past three years, there are talented players who didn’t get to take that next step because of seniority. There are players who simply had their development stunted by a coaching staff that didn’t care.

And while I discuss the guys with obvious potential like Xavier Henderson, I’ll also be focusing on guys like Kalon Gervin, who came into East Lansing with high praise but haven’t done much since.

So in the form of a list, I’ll be explaining why each one of these players in the secondary will be contributing to a surprisingly stout defense.