2013 Outlook - Michigan State

Last year the Michigan State Spartans really emerged at a big time player in the Big 10.  This year, their defense is poised for great things, but will their offense be able to keep up?

For the past three years, the team has had a constant under center in Kirk Cousins.  Cousins may not have been the best QB in the country, but he was intelligent and one of the best leaders you could have asked for.  Losing him will hurt.  JR Andrew Maxwell has been groomed to be Cousins’ replacement, but there is little doubt that this team should take a step back this year based on QB play alone.  JR RB LeVeon Bell has been getting some pre-season hype, but I have not been overly impressed with him thus far.  I think he will need to do more to help this team win and to establish himself as a legitimate prospect.  The receivers have been depleted, and they now have a very inexperienced group.  Combined with a new QB, it could take a bit of time to build some synergy.  The big guys up front will be led by SR OT Fou Fonoti who is a day 3 prospect right now, but the guy to be most excited about is SO C Travis Jackson.  If he can build on his solid FR season, he could be one of the better Cs in the nation by this time next year.

The defense in East Lansing is something to be excited about.  This unit has a whole lot of talent, and most of these guys are still JRs.  The defensive line boast one of the most freakish athletes anywhere in the country in JR DE William Gholston.  This guy is a monster, and he gets into the opposing backfield quite frequently.  If he comes out after this season, he is looking at early first round consideration it would appear.  Former DE Tyler Hoover has moved to DT, giving them a big athletic presence there too, making this one of the scariest d-lines in the nation.  At linebacker, the Spartans are stocked, with standouts Denicos Allen and Max Bullough both in their JR year.  These guys penetrate well and cover a lot of ground.  In the secondary, the corners are outstanding.  JR Johnny Adams is currently projecting as an early first rounder, and on the other side, Darqueze Dennard is emerging into a complete player too.  JR S Isaiah Lewis is looking to take the next step, and he could emerge as an All-American candidate this season too.

Based on the defense alone, you would but MSU amongst the best in the country.  But the offense is a little too immature to support that type of production.  I see this team being difficult to score on, and thus in almost everyone of their games in 2013, but it is hard to see them pushing for the Big 10 crown.