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Michigan State football: Playing time odds for 2022 class defensive signees

By Emmett Matasovsky

Michigan State's head coach Mel Turner gives encouragement to players during football camp on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, on the MSU campus in East Lansing.210817 Msu Football Camp 121a
Michigan State's head coach Mel Turner gives encouragement to players during football camp on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, on the MSU campus in East Lansing.210817 Msu Football Camp 121a /
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Caleb Coley, CB

CB room:

Losing: Spencer Rowland, CJ Hayes, Emmanuel Flowers
Returning: Charles Brantley, Ronald Williams, Chester Kimbrough, Khary Crump, Marqui Lowery, Justin White, Kendell Brooks, Antoine Booth
Bringing in: Dillon Tatum, Jaden Mangham, Ade Willie, Ameer Speed (transfer)

Caleb Coley (No. 417 nationally, No. 40 CB) is one of two true cornerback commits in this class. He committed on signing day after decommitting from Vanderbilt.

An early enrollee, Coley gets a full offseason to work with the Spartans. Based on his weight (166 pounds), he will benefit from the Spartans’ training staff.

While the corner room was nowhere near good last season, it is hard to see Coley seeing the field unless he shines in training camp or the injury bug hits the room. It’s not all gloom for the Georgia native, however. There are five players who will be graduates or seniors in the room this year, meaning playing time will be his for the taking at this point next year.

Prediction

Redshirt. Coley is a talented corner who has tremendous discipline in sticking to his man in coverage. However, high school to the Big Ten will be a tremendous jump. The players he faced on Friday nights are unlikely to be as talented as Jaden Reed or Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Coley will benefit from the loaded wide receiver room to sharpen his skills against. However, unless he proves invaluable to special teams, I cannot see Coley beating out many of the corners.

This will be a great year for Coley to learn and develop, and at this point next year he might be a favorite to take over any one of the roles vacated by Williams, Kimbrough, Speed, White, or Brooks.

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