Michigan State Football: Darius Snow will have sneaky productive year in 2021

When Darius Snow signed with Michigan State football, it came during an uncertain time for the program. The coach who had recruited him and who he got to know on a personal level (Mark Dantonio) retired suddenly following National Signing Day, yet he stayed put.

Darius, the son of Michigan State basketball legend Eric Snow and nephew of football great Percy Snow, was the Spartans’ top-ranked signee in the 2020 class and acted like a leader, remaining committed throughout all the changes when it probably would have been easy to walk away and start anew elsewhere.

The path to early playing time was pretty clear for Snow, so he stuck with Mel Tucker and the new staff and he’s fallen in love with the program much like his father and uncle did.

In his first year, however, he was limited to just special teams play, appearing in six games and really breaking out against Michigan with three tackles on kickoff coverage. That was it for his stat line for the season, but he got some decent experience and now he heads into his second season as a top candidate to take over at nickel.

Angelo Grose looked to be the top nickel guy but it looks like he’s made the move to safety and Chester Kimbrough even got some time there, but Tucker recently said that Michael Dowell and Snow are splitting time at the position in a by-committee role.

What that tells me is that he’s coming along nicely in his second year and he’s going to have a potentially prominent role on this defense.

Snow is getting ready to have a minor breakout season and become a surprise contributor.

Michigan State football fans are excited for Snow

When Snow committed, he was a borderline four-star prospect and the crown jewel of Michigan State’s 2020 class and people forget that he held some elite offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, Texas, and Texas A&M.

Sure, the fact that he was a legacy recruit helped, but beating out those elite programs is still impressive and he immediately became a fan favorite.

Seeing him break out in 2021 and become a serious contributor on a rebuilding defense is going to be exciting for all those who believed he was going to be a star in East Lansing. They’ll feel vindicated this season as he puts up some solid numbers and turns heads.

I think we’re only going to see the beginning of Snow’s rise, but he’ll lock up a starting spot for 2022 and beyond with a strong sophomore season because of his size (6-1, 220 pounds), football IQ, willingness to hit somebody, and instincts. We’re about to see him really come into his own.