Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Football: 3 freshmen who’ll have biggest impacts in 2022

By Connor Muldowney

Sparty flexes at midfield before Michigan State's football game against Nebraska on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.210925 Msu Nebraska 067a
Sparty flexes at midfield before Michigan State's football game against Nebraska on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.210925 Msu Nebraska 067a /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next

One of the strongest position groups on the team is the defensive line and yet there’s still a path to the field for a first-year player like Alex VanSumeren.

The former four-star defensive lineman from Essexville, Mich., was the highest-ranked recruit in the Spartans’ 2022 class, listed as the No. 200 prospect in the country and he’s the 26th-best defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was also Michigan’s No. 3 recruit in the class and he’s a former Michigan pledge.

Flipping to Michigan State, he probably saw a clear path to playing time early and he enrolled early to get a leg up on the incoming competition.

Projected to play on the interior with that 6-3, 300-pound frame, he’s going to battle it out with Maverick Hansen, Jalen Hunt, Dashaun Mallory, Simeon Barrow, and Derrick Harmon for backup duties. He’s good enough to be on that two-deep to start the season, but will his inexperience hold him back? I don’t think so. Enrolling early only helped his chances to see the field early on.

VanSumeren has a bright future and I think we see that sooner rather than later.

Home/Spartans Football