Michigan State football: 5 bold predictions for the 2022 season

3. Jarek Broussard breaks 1,000 yards

Losing the Doak Walker and Walter Camp award winner at running back is going to make things a little more complicated and less sure on offense. No one really knows what to expect from the backfield duo of Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard.

If you look at their careers before coming to Michigan State, Berger was a lightly-used back at Wisconsin who was once considered the future of the backfield but then parted ways with the Badgers in 2021. Broussard won the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year award in 2020 after rushing for 895 yards and five touchdowns in six games.

Both have plenty of talent and just wanted fresh starts elsewhere and they saw what Kenneth Walker III did as a transfer running back in Michigan State’s offense in 2021 and wanted to be next.

Berger was on campus in the winter and has a better feel for the playbook, but I think Broussard takes over the backfield this season as the starter and rushes for over 1,000 yards. I do think Berger has over 500 yards on the season and will eventually take over when Broussard graduates, but the backfield will be Jarek’s in 2022.

Two straight 1,000-yard rushers under Mel Tucker after Michigan State went without one from 2015-2019. Not too bad.