Ranking Michigan State football's defensive position groups for 2024

1. Linebackers

Depth, talent, and versatility. This linebacking group has it all.

Darius Snow, Cal Haladay, and Jordan Hall not only lead the corps, not only do they lead the defense, but these are ready-made team leaders. Haladay says he lost weight and gained speed this offseason, cleaning up his glaring weakness which was pass coverage.

Linebackers usually act as the quarterbacks of the defense and not only do the Spartans have leaders at the position, they also brought in high-end transfers like Wayne Matthews from Old Dominion, Jordan Turner from Wisconsin, Semaj Bridgeman from -- ah, can't remember off the top of my head -- and Marcellius Pulliam from Miami. Joe Rossi doubles as the linebackers coach so the players will be in good hands as they prepare for this season.

While the expectations for the 2024 Michigan State Spartans aren't astronomical, fans should expect improvement over last year. It shouldn't be too difficult to average more than 10 points a game in conference play. It shouldn't be too difficult to not be one of the worst pass defenses in the country, just be slightly below average, it's an improvement.

The jump from bad to OK isn't too difficult. It's like a golf handicap. Going from a 25 to an 18 isn't too difficult if you put in the work. Going from a 10 to a five is slightly more difficult and going from a five to a two is 10 times harder than that even though it's fewer strokes, but we'll worry about that later down the line.

The road to a powerhouse program begins with a single step, and if Jonathan Smith is the coach we all think he is, this season can be a huge step in the right direction.