Michigan State Football: Projecting offensive depth chart for 2020

Running back

Starter: Elijah Collins
Backup: Anthony Williams Jr. OR Connor Heyward

This one was a no-brainer for obvious reasons. Elijah Collins won the starting job over Connor Heyward shortly into the 2019 season and never looked back. He took over and rushed for 988 yards behind a horrid offensive line so just imagine what he could do behind an improved group with a year of starting experience under his belt. Scary.

Collins could become the Spartans’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford, but he’d need to average around 115 yards per game and remain healthy in a nine-game slate.

Backing him up will be sophomore Anthony Williams Jr. who is a talented runner but struggled behind a bad offensive line as well. He could bring that speed component to the run game, complementing Collins nicely — but Collins, too, is faster than people think.

Connor Heyward also decided not to transfer after deciding to redshirt last season and then look elsewhere for playing time. The new coaching staff must have been all he needed.

We could see Heyward used a ton in the passing game as he has the best hands out of the backfield and can be dangerous when he’s not running between the tackles.