1. Plenty of underrated weapons on offense
When you think of 2018 and 2019 Michigan State football, the first thing that comes to mind is an underwhelming, almost comically-bad offense.
Now that there’s a new staff in place and there are no upperclassmen favorites being played, Michigan State might just have a competent offense that can put up some points. Whoever starts at quarterback will be key. Rocky Lombardi has struggled with accuracy over his career and Payton Thorne and Theo Day have shown plenty of promise.
And whoever gets that start under center will have plenty of solid weapons to spread the ball out to.
Let’s take a look at the backfield. Elijah Collins is a potential 1,000-yard rusher and he had a breakout freshman season in 2019. He’ll be backed by a speedy Anthony Williams Jr. along with Connor Heyward and Brandon Wright. This is an incredibly underrated backfield.
At tight end, the Spartans have Matt Dotson who has shown flashes of brilliance, but inconsistencies have kept him back. Coming off an injury, he could be due for a breakout senior year after a career junior campaign. He’ll be backed by the athletic Trenton Gillison who broke out in the Pinstripe Bowl.
And at receiver, the Spartans have guys like Tre Mosley, Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed, Laress Nelson, C.J. Hayes, Ricky White, Terry Lockett Jr., Ian Stewart, Tre’Von Morgan, Javez Alexander and Montorie Foster. These might not sound like elite names, but the first three are locks to be starters and the rest are breakout candidates.
This offense has no shortage of weapons and underrated talent.