Michigan State football: 3 upperclassmen who need to take over in 2023

It’s no secret that the defensive backfield has been a weakness for Michigan State since Mel Tucker took over. He’s hit the portal hard over the past two years to try and find the right pieces to fix the secondary, but it just hasn’t worked. Tucker does, however, have some of his own recruited players who could help fix the issues.

Charles Brantley is a prime example.

Brantley had a solid first season in 2021, racking up 18 total tackles, four pass breakups, and the game-sealing interception against Michigan in six games before getting injured and missing the rest of the year.

As a sophomore, Brantley had his struggles but still recorded 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, six pass breakups, and an interception.

It’s time for him to take a big step as the secondary will be losing Xavier Henderson.

Brantley needs to take over as a true lockdown corner and play to his potential in 2023 if Scottie Hazelton’s defense is going to build on that momentum that it conjured in the second half of the season.