Michigan State football is officially two weeks into their fall camp and that means one thing. It's time to predict some breakout candidates for the Spartans this fall.
It's hard for us fans to do that because we don't get to see the players practice each day, but our Michigan State reporters and insiders do get that opportunity. So when one of them says to keep an eye on certain players heading into the season it's likely they know what they're talking about.
The latest to make such a prediction is Kenny Jordan, a reporter with On3's Spartan Mag. and the two breakout candidates he shared on Sunday are extremely exciting considering they are at a massive position of need.
MSU redshirt sophomore DT’s Ben Roberts and Alex VanSumeren… different paths to get to this point… but could sneakily become one of the better DT units over the next three years. Both guys are emerging in fall camp and I think are due for breakout seasons this year.
— Kenny Jordan (@Kenny_Jordan5) August 11, 2024
Both came… pic.twitter.com/S92FWVr1Ls
We all know that the transfer portal was not kind to Michigan State this offseason. The Spartans lost a record number of players to the portal, but the group that arguably lost the most was the defensive line. Derrick Harmon and Simeon Barrow Jr. were both guaranteed starters for the team heading into this season, but their entries into the portal were both shocking and heartbreaking.
But we all know what every sports team says during moments like this, "Next man up." And thankfully for Michigan State, it sounds like the next men up are looking very good.
Jordan shared that ddefensive tackles Ben Roberts and Alex VanSumeren are having great fall camps and are two of his breakout candidates heading into the season. Both Roberts and VanSumeren were part of the 2022 recruiting class and were both four-stars, with the former initially beginning his career at Oregon and the latter at MSU.
Roberts then transferred to Michigan State this offseason to join VanSumeren on the defensive line, and what a great time to do so considering all of the available playing time at the position.
The defensive line has been my biggest concern heading into the first season under Jonathan Smith, but those worries are quickly evaporating. Who knows if Roberts or VanSumeren will turn out to be impact players this year or not, and I'm definitely not going to let my hopes get to high since neither player has much tangible college experience yet, but I am feeling a lot more confident after seeing this from Jordan.
Thankfully we don't have to wait much longer to find out how they do as Michigan State's season kicks off in less than three weeks.