Michigan State football’s running back duo being criminally overlooked

Michigan State football may have one of the best running back duos in the country for 2022 but no one seems to be giving it any respect.

We’re at a point in the offseason where the only storylines really capturing anyone’s attention have to do with recruiting or baseless rankings of coaches, players, position groups, and teams.

Michigan State football fans have been able to play the #disrespekt card multiple times with Payton Thorne being listed as the No. 25 quarterback in the country and Mel Tucker being dubbed the No. 24 head coach in the Power Five.

But there’s one ranking I’ve seen from multiple outlets and it’s based on a position group for Michigan State that seems to be drastically overlooked: running back.

Losing the Doak Walker Award winner almost always means a drastic drop in production and a bleaker outlook but Michigan State might be an exception here. Despite losing over 1,600 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns, the Spartans are bringing in a duo from the transfer portal that may do more than just hold them over for a season or two.

Sure, Walker was a generational talent for Michigan State and losing him is tough, but Jarek Broussard is a former Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and Jalen Berger was a top-150 recruit a couple of years ago.

Both have starting experience at the Power Five level.

Berger was highly touted out of high school and he was expected to be the next great Wisconsin running back but he encountered some issues that led to the Badgers removing him from the team last year. He played in seven career games with Wisconsin and had 389 yards and three scores — he averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 60 touches in 2020.

Broussard’s upside is massive. He was the best offensive player in the Pac-12 in 2020, rushing for 895 yards and five touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry. He also did this on an average Colorado team with a so-so offensive line. He suffered through injuries in 2021 that caused his numbers to dip a bit, but he still put up 661 yards and two touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry. He looks like a Walker-lite who could really excel at Michigan State.

Just one of these guys would have been an impressive replacement for Walker, but Mel Tucker went out and landed both, giving the Spartans a legit two-headed monster in the backfield.

So when I see lists that have Michigan State’s running backs ranked 7-8 in the Big Ten, I just shake my head in disbelief.

This duo is going to prove a lot of people wrong this year.