Michigan State football depth chart 2.0: Mel Tuckers Spartans have more options for 2022 -

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State won 11 games in 2021, doing so with a roster that was still very much under construction. The transfer portal was used to address some holes, but the depth wasn’t where it needed to be, and it showed at times. That comes with the territory when you’re a relatively new staff still working to flip the roster. But as Mel Tucker likes to say, you have to battle and build.

As MSU continues to build, spring football gave us a decent look at the 2022 Spartans. Michigan State is set to add 31 scholarship players between the 2022 class and incoming transfers, with many of those players already on campus. Those who aren’t should be arriving soon.

With that, it feels like a good time for the second installment of our MSU offseason depth chart projection (we did the first one in January). In addition to this depth chart, the number next to each position represents the projected number of scholarship players on the roster. It might not be exact, but it should be in the ballpark.

Quarterback (4)

Starter: Payton Thorne
Backup: Noah Kim
Others: Katin Houser, Hamp Fay

This one is probably the easiest call of any position. Thorne is the starter and will look to build upon a sophomore season in which he threw a program-record 27 touchdowns. Despite that, Thorne has room to improve. He’ll be asked to carry more of the offensive load in 2022, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he develops in his second year as a starter.

From there, it’s a bit more intriguing. There was a chance we saw Kim hit the transfer portal after spring football, just because he probably could compete for a starting gig elsewhere, but that didn’t happen before the May 1 deadline. I expect him to head into the fall as the No. 2 QB. As long as Thorne stays healthy, don’t expect the backup job to be a major storyline this season. Houser and Fay are still young, and Thorne shouldn’t have to worry about Kim as a challenger.

Running back (6)

Starter: Jarek Broussard
Backup: Jalen Berger
Others: Davion Primm, Harold Joiner, Elijah Collins, Jordon Simmons

For the sake of this depth chart projection, I’m going with a player who isn’t even on campus yet in Broussard. Even though he was recruited by the previous Colorado staff, Tucker, Jay Johnson and Chris Kapilovic spent a year with Broussard when he was a redshirt freshman in 2019, so you have to think they know what he’s capable of. One year after they left for Michigan State, Broussard won the 2020 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year award. Now, he’ll rejoin his former coaches in East Lansing.

If Broussard wins the job, I’d still expect to see more of a timeshare than last year. Maybe that’s Broussard and Berger atop the depth chart. Maybe Primm, one of the standouts this spring, has worked himself into the mix. Maybe Simmons or Collins fights back and regains control. Maybe Joiner keeps his third-down job.

Wide receiver (10)

Starters: Jayden Reed, Tre Mosley, Keon Coleman
Backups: Montorie Foster, Germie Bernard, Christian Fitzpatrick
Others: Terry Lockett Jr., Antonio Gates Jr., Tyrell Henry, Jaron Glover

Michigan State looks set at wide receiver. Reed and Mosley are back as starters and reliable targets. Coleman has a ton of talent, and this could be the year he realizes some of it. Foster can play, too. He’s athletic for his size and could push for a starting spot after filling in for Jalen Nailor at times last season.

Bernard, a four-star prospect in the 2022 class, is talented enough to be a regular in the rotation. Fitzpatrick and Lockett are upperclassmen, and Gates, Henry and Glover are talented incoming freshmen.

Tight end (5)

Starter: Daniel Barker
Backup: Maliq Carr
Others: Jack Nickel, Tyler Hunt, Adam Berghorst, Michael Masunas

I’d expect Barker to get the starting nod, with Carr contributing. Barker is a multi-year starter who didn’t transfer to sit. His presence should allow Carr, who’s still learning on the fly after switching from wide receiver, to develop at his own pace. Hunt is back for another year, although he has been passed on the depth chart. Nickel is already on campus and should be a good player down the road, but MSU might not need him right now. The same can be said for Masunas.

Of note: To my knowledge, Hunt is not on scholarship. Berghorst, a two-sport athlete and a pitcher on the baseball team, is on a football scholarship. That brings the scholarship total to five.

Offensive line (15)

Starters: LT Jarrett Horst, LG JD Duplain, C Nick Samac, RG Brian Greene, RT Spencer Brown
Backups: LT Brandon Baldwin, LG Kevin Wigenton, C Dallas Fincher, RG Matt Carrick/Geno VanDeMark, RT Ethan Boyd
Others: T Braden Miller, G Gavin Broscious, T Ashton Lepo, G Kris Phillips

We’re projecting a little bit here since there are some moving pieces, but this should give you an idea. Horst and Duplain appear to be locked in on the left side. At center, I’d give the edge to Samac since this is his fourth year on campus and third in the system. Greene has experience at center, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Samac were flipped, but we’ll slot him in at right guard for the time being. There’s a chance MSU could add another tackle from the portal, which could make things interesting at a spot like right tackle. But since that move hasn’t been made yet, Brown is the guy. I like his potential.

The depth here sort of illustrates the challenge of this 2022 season. How many young players will be ready for the spotlight? Carrick is experienced and returns for his sixth season, but he’s coming off a serious injury and surgery. Fincher is entering his third season, but he has yet to appear in a game. Baldwin is a JUCO product who’s listed as a sophomore, but he didn’t see any action a year ago. The rest of the players? True or redshirt freshmen. The offensive line is one of the biggest storylines for MSU this season. As it typically is.

Defensive line (16)

Starters: DE Khris Bogle, DT Jacob Slade, DT Simeon Barrow, DE Jeff Pietrowski
Backups: DE Brandon Wright, DT Jalen Hunt, DT Maverick Hansen, DE Tank Brown
Others: DE Michael Fletcher, DT Dashaun Mallory, DT Derrick Harmon, DE Avery Dunn, DT Alex VanSumeren, DE James Schott, DE Zion Young, DE Chase Carter

Defensive tackle might be the strongest position on the team. Slade, Barrow, Harmon, Hansen, Hunt, VanSumeren and Mallory are all capable of playing in 2022, so it’ll be interesting to see what the pecking order looks like. Don’t overlook Harmon. He could wind up as one of the best players in MSU’s 2021 class.

New defensive line coach Marco Coleman called Pietrowski his “favorite player,” which is further praise for the 6-foot-1 defensive end. After starting a few games in place of Drew Beesley, it feels like Pietrowski is ready for more. Bogle, a former top-75 prospect with a 6-5 frame, came over from Florida this offseason. Wright sounds like he’s coming along after switching from running back, and Brown worked his way on the field in November after a knee injury kept him out for seven games. He switched from linebacker. Fletcher and Dunn should provide some depth, while the incoming freshmen likely will sit and learn.

We’re projecting a 4-2-5, but I would expect MSU to use one of its transfer linebackers in a pass-rushing package. There’s so much versatility on this defense. More on that later.

Linebacker (8)

Starters: Cal Haladay and Jacoby Windmon
Backups: Aaron Brule and Darius Snow
Others: Ma’a Gaoteote, Ben VanSumeren, Carson Casteel, Quavian Carter

Let me preface this by saying I’m not a huge fan of the “OR” option on depth chart projections, even though it helps paint the picture. It would’ve been a bit of a cop-out to write “Haladay OR Windmon OR Brule OR Snow,” but that might be the most accurate description right now. Michigan State has so many options here that it simply doesn’t matter who starts and who comes off the bench. We’ll see regular roles for at least the top four at this position.

I believe the Spartans have four starting-caliber linebackers. Last year, they had two. Maybe one and a half, since Quavaris Crouch was still learning the system and how to play linebacker. If I had to pick two starters from this group, I’d probably go with Haladay and Windmon. That’s more speculation than anything concrete I’ve heard. Haladay is coming off a really nice redshirt freshman season, and I’m curious to see what he does for an encore. Windmon recorded 118 tackles last season at UNLV after making the switch from DE to inside linebacker. He might be my favorite portal addition. He diagnoses things so quickly, and by all accounts, he’ll be a strong locker room presence. But because there’s so much depth here, MSU could deploy a true LB rotation. Brule moves well and can rush the passer. Snow is a true thumper who can play safety, nickel and linebacker in a pinch. They all bring different skills to the table, and that’s what makes this position so intriguing. MSU could start any combination of the four, and I wouldn’t argue it.

Outside of that group, there are four others on scholarship. Gaoteote and VanSumeren entered the portal this offseason, only to return. Casteel is a 2021 signee who didn’t appear in a game last year. Carter, an incoming freshman, should arrive on campus soon.

Nickel (4)

Starter: Chester Kimbrough
Backup: Caleb Coley
Others: Justin White, Dillon Tatum

On my last depth chart projection, I had Snow as the starting nickel. He had taken over that position after the first month of the year and never looked back. But after watching spring play out, it’s clear that Kimbrough has been repping at that nickel spot. It looks like the staff wants to make that a slot corner spot to improve coverage. When Snow played there last year, it was like having a third linebacker on the field. Well, now that Snow is a linebacker, somebody is gonna have to play nickel. Kimbrough, who started 11 games in 2021, looks like that person. It could be a better positional home for him than on the outside. Snow still will get some time here, particularly when MSU is facing teams that play more 12-personnel. It could be matchup-based.

Because of the fluidity of this position, we’ll keep it brief here with the backups. Coley, an early enrollee, was spotted getting some reps at nickel during the open spring practice, so we’ll list him here now. White (not on scholarship, to my knowledge) got some time at nickel last year and fits the cornerback mold. Tatum could end up at safety or nickel, but he told reporters in February that he would begin at nickel, so we’ll put him here.

Before we move on, here’s an example of what MSU’s defense could look like on a given play.

The defensive linemen on the field for this clip are Wright, Barrow and Pietrowski, with Brule acting as a stand-up pass rusher. Look how quickly Brule (No. 7) beats Baldwin off the edge. Barrow up the middle, too. They beat their guys so badly that they ran into each other going for the practice sack. Granted, this was MSU’s makeshift spring offensive line, but still. That’ll do.

At linebacker, Snow and Windmon. Windmon covers Simmons out of the backfield and takes away that option. Windmon can really move. Meanwhile, Snow patrols the middle of the field. At nickel, you have Kimbrough, playing that slot corner role. Then two corners and two safeties.

I’ve written in the past that we could see more 3-3-5 looks from MSU this season, and this is what I meant. Three true linemen (in this instance, two DEs and a DT), three linebackers and five defensive backs (one slot corner, two outside corners and two safeties). If you swapped out Brule for Slade, you suddenly have a 4-2-5 look again. It also wouldn’t be hard to come up with a 4-3 or 3-4 look without moving too many pieces.

This is how you field a defense that’s multiple. MSU finally has the horses to be just that.

Cornerback (7)

Starters: Ronald Williams, Ameer Speed
Backups: Chuck Brantley, Marqui Lowery
Others: Ade Willie, Malcolm Jones, Khary Crump

Now for the cornerbacks. It was a rough year in 2021, but things can’t get much worse than 130th in passing yards allowed, right?

Looking at the position, there are some signs of life. Williams and Speed are SEC transfers from Alabama and Georgia, respectively. Williams got to campus last May and played in all 13 games — starting nine of them. He led all MSU cornerbacks in snaps (847), passes defended (nine) and pass break-ups (eight). Speed started three games on Georgia’s stacked defense, a unit that just had eight players get drafted. He was passed up by five-star CB Kelee Ringo, but that’s hardly a reflection of Speed’s talent, considering Ringo is a projected first-round pick in 2023. Keep in mind: Tucker recruited Speed to Georgia. He should slot in as a starter opposite Williams.

As for Brantley and Lowery, there’s a lot to like here. Brantley has a killer instinct and a quick memory, which is exactly what you want out of a cornerback. He was limited this spring but should be full-go for preseason camp. Lowery was a sleeper in terms of 2021 transfers, and he held his own when he worked his way back from injury. He got most of the first-team reps in the final spring practice with Williams spotted in a cast. The key for both — and the entire unit, really — is health. MSU has options among its top four. You couldn’t really say that a year ago.

Willie is already on campus as an early enrollee, and based on conversations this spring, it seems like he’s coming along well. Crump was part of the 2021 transfer class but didn’t make much noise during his first season. Jones flipped from Virginia Tech a few days before the early signing period. His 247Sports profile lists him as a safety, but Tucker said in December that Jones will begin his career at cornerback. Coley repped at nickel and corner, so he could move back in a pinch if needed.

Safety (7)

Starters: Xavier Henderson, Angelo Grose
Backups: Kendell Brooks, Jaden Mangham
Others: AJ Kirk, Malik Spencer, Tate Hallock

Michigan State returns both starters in Grose and Henderson, who ranked first and second, respectively, in the nation in pass coverage snaps and fourth and sixth overall in defensive snaps in 2021. That’s a lot of action for two players, which was a product of the defense’s inability to defend the pass and get off the field. Secondary coach Harlon Barnett said he would like to give those two more rest in 2022, so perhaps Brooks, a Division II transfer, could spell Henderson from time to time. As for Grose, Mangham was running with the second team at free safety in the spring, so he appears to have the inside track as things currently stand. Kirk and Spencer are young players hoping to work themselves into the mix. Hallock is entering his fourth season and is the last scholarship safety of this bunch.

Specialists (3)

Starters: PK Jack Stone, LS Hank Pepper, P Bryce Baringer
Backups: Stephen Rusnak, Michael Donovan, Ryan Eckley

Stone, the No. 7 kicking prospect in the 2022 class, is set to replace Matt Coghlin. Stone will arrive soon and should have a leg up as the starter over Rusnak. Michigan State doesn’t give out too many special teams scholarships, so expect Stone to immediately take over, as Pepper did in 2021. He played in all 13 games as the starting long snapper, with Donovan serving as depth. Baringer was placed on scholarship for the 2021 season and returns after recording the eighth-highest yards-per-punt average of any punter since 2000 (minimum of 2.5 punts per game). Eckley, a 2022 walk-on, is already on campus as an early enrollee and could serve as an emergency backup if Baringer goes down.

(Photo of Jayden Reed: Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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