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Michigan State football: Way-too-early 2023 defensive groups preview

By Scott Tolonen

Oct 15, 2022; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mel Tucker talks on the headset against the Wisconsin Badgers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mel Tucker talks on the headset against the Wisconsin Badgers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports /
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EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 08: Charles Brantley #0 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a first half interception for a touchdown while playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at Spartan Stadium on October 08, 2022 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 08: Charles Brantley #0 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a first half interception for a touchdown while playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at Spartan Stadium on October 08, 2022 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Defensive Backs

Last year, we said they couldn’t possibly be as bad as they were in 2021.

They went from dead last in the FBS to only the 45th worst in the FBS, which was good for second-worst in the Big Ten behind Indiana (you would have to be such a dumpster fire if you lost to Indiana in 2022).

Early on, we all yelled and screamed for Scottie Hazelton to be fired and while he deserved some criticism, I think we all slowly realized that it wasn’t as much the scheme being the problem and saw that maybe these players weren’t as good as advertised *cough* Chester Kimbrough and Ameer Speed *cough*.

Yes, Chance Rucker is an amazing recruit, and a job well done by Mel Tucker and his staff on getting a guy from Texas to commit to MSU over teams like Baylor, TCU, and Florida. But it is incredibly difficult for freshmen corners to come in and make an impact so let’s cross our fingers that another year of maturity and some fresh coaching perspective from Jim Salgado can help this group get a little bit better every day.

Next. 3 ideal transfer portal targets for MSU basketball. dark

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