2010 Spartan Nation Football Profile: Brian Linthicum TE #88

 Expectation: Backup TE 1st in two TE sets  Height:  6’5”  Weight: 246#  2010 Eligibility: Junior (red shirt)  EXP: 1 letter Â

 

Linthicum is a solid TE who would start on most Big Ten teams. Photo courtesy of MSU SID

Expectation:Â Backup TE 1st in two TE sets

 

Height:  6’5”

 

Weight:Â 246#

 

2010 Eligibility: Junior (red shirt) 

 

EXP:Â 1 letter

 

Status:Â backup TE

 

Strengths: Linthicum is a very good TE. In fact, MSU is blessed to have four TEs that could play on just about any team in the Big Ten. People may see that Brian is a backup, but don’t undersell this fine player. With someone as good as Gantt ahead of him, he has NO reason to hang his head.  He is a very good player.

 

In the Montana State game in the first quarter with 3:28 on the clock the Spartans had a first and ten at their own ten. Linthicum turned his body in a twisting type fashion, caught the ball, and got up field for five yards. Most people would be like, “OK five yards.” What they missed is this big man running to his right had to reach behind himself and catch the ball off his back hip. That showed amazing athletic ability. It could have easily been a drop and counted rightfully so as an incomplete pass on the QB. With Linthicum not only making the catch, it is moves like that that show his soft hands.

 

Weakness: Linthicum does a lot right. His weakness can be in blocking when he fails to be as motivated as he is out as a receiver. In fairness, it isn’t often, but when he does lose a little motivation it can hurt dearly. Against UM in the third quarter with 6:58 on the clock, MSU had a third and one at the UM 3. When Linthicum made a haphazard attempt at a block, super stud DE Brandon Graham destroyed him and leveled Glenn Winston and forced the Spartans to kick a field goal. Had MSU made the TD (if Linthicum had made the block, Winston had the TD) there would not have been OT at the end of the game and a chance for a loss.

 

Final Analysis: Linthicum is a very good TE and will only get better. Again, his weakness in blocking isn’t even close to a regular occurrence. He will learn with two years left that you have to go all out on every play. He is better than a backup and will get a lot of reps in 2010. He is a high character person and widely respected.

 

Next up: DE Johnathan Strayhorn