Michigan State Football: Report card from first month of 2021 season

Linebackers: B+

Quavaris Crouch was one of the premier additions from the transfer portal this offseason and he hasn’t disappointed through a month of play. He’s one of the starting linebackers and he’s been all over the field each week. He finds himself in on almost every play, even when he’s not getting a recorded tackle.

On the season, Crouch has 24 total tackles with two sacks, a pass deflection, and a big forced fumble against Miami in Week 3. He looks the part and he’s only getting more comfortable.

Cal Haladay has been the surprise in the linebacking corps, taking over the other starting job and he is second on the team in total tackles with 27. He has 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass deflection and while he’s not the flashiest player, he certainly is reliable.

Outside of those two, we’ve seen other guys in limited roles. Chase Kline chose to transfer as he was the third-most productive linebacker this season and Ben VanSumeren has been decent, recording five tackles on the year. Noah Harvey has also been lightly used and Ma’a Gaoteote has made an appearance.

Haladay and Crouch have been very good in the middle of that defense and they’re gaining confidence as the starting linebackers.