Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Football: 3 unheralded players halfway through 2021 season

By Carter Landis

Sep 25, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Tre Mosley (17) runs after a catch against Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) during the second quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Tre Mosley (17) runs after a catch against Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (5) during the second quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

Michigan State football has gotten off to an unexpected 6-0 start on the season, taking down some teams in impressive fashion along the way. The improvement this team has shown under Mel Tucker should have fans excited about the future.

As current contributors get more comfortable in Tucker’s system, and the staff brings in what could be a top-20 recruiting class, things should only get better.

The offense has grown a tremendous amount, with multiple people responsible. Chris Kapilovic has rebuilt the offensive line and strengthened the run game. Payton Thorne has made strides as a quarterback, showing he can hit the home run ball as well as sustain long drives. The strength and conditioning team has done an unbelievable job getting the team healthier and stronger.

The defense has had a couple of moments where they haven’t looked as sharp as they could, but overall, the unit is playing really well. The secondary is one of those suspect units, but there is talent in the defensive backfield and they should continue to improve as the season goes on. The front seven have been the saving grace of this defense, constantly getting in the backfield and pressuring quarterbacks.

There are some obvious names that you can point to as to why the team has turned things around from an abysmal 2020: Thorne, Kenneth Walker III, Jayden Reed, Jalen Nailor, Jacub Panasiuk, and Xavier Henderson, to name a few. But there are some players who have played just a big a part in the turnaround, and we’ll take a look at some of those players right now.

Home/Spartans Football