Michigan State football’s 2021 defensive line ranked No. 2 in Big Ten

For the remainder of the offseason, there aren’t going to be a ton of headlines pertaining to on-field production until fall practice starts. That means tons or rankings and lists will dominate college football websites.

In the early years of the Mel Tucker era, fans don’t exactly expect Michigan State football to be listed high on most lists in terms of position group or coach rankings, but one site surprised everyone.

According to Off Tackle Empire, Michigan State has the second-best defensive line in the Big Ten heading into the 2021 season, behind only Ohio State.

This comes as a surprise to me because I think this is one of those position groups that still has plenty to prove. There’s a lot of talent returning to the defensive line but they just didn’t have a great pass rush last season and a good chunk of the contributors are unproven.

Here’s what OTE had to say about this ranking:

"Sparty is solid across the line, serviceable. It’s tough, even if you squint a lot, to see a lot of playmaking here, but being experienced and decent can get you pretty far."

It’s not wrong. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of playmakers, but there are guys who can use some experience to their advantage. Guys like Drew Beesley, Jacub Panasiuk, Drew Jordan, Jalen Hunt, and Jacob Slade should provide a good punch up front with Michael Fletcher and DaShaun Mallory providing some valuable depth.

Michigan State football’s defense should surprise in 2021

After a forgettable 2020 campaign defensively, the Spartans should be one of those surprise teams in 2021 as Scottie Hazelton now has more pieces to work with.

Not only does Hazelton have three new linebackers to utilize and build with, Harlon Barnett has a handful of defensive backs added to the mix who will inevitably help return the secondary to a serviceable unit. They allowed about 240 yards per game through the air last season but that’s going to improve with the additions of Chester Kimbrough, Ronald Williams, Marqui Lowery, Kendell Brooks, and Khary Crump.

The defensive line added Jordan and probably could have used more youthful depth, but that’s going to be an area of focus in the next recruiting class.

The 2021 defense may just finish in the top half of the Big Ten after a couple of disappointing seasons in a row.