Spartan Nation

Five Bold Predictions for Michigan State Football in 2022

The Spartans enter Year 3 under head coach Mel Tucker...

Aedan Mulcrone

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Opinions on Michigan State football are everywhere after a surprising 11-2 campaign in 2021. While head coach Mel Tucker and the staff have had a very eventful June in terms of recruiting, the current roster shows lots of promise heading into the 2022 season.

MSU has restocked key positions with transfers, brought in a Top 25 recruiting class, and returns plenty of production to match last season’s success. Quarterback Payton Thorne returns under center after a record-setting season, along with his favorite receiving target, Jayden Reed. Defensively, safety Xavier Henderson, defensive tackle Jacob Slade and linebacker Cal Haladay return on the other side of the ball.

The Spartans must replace tailback Kenneth Walker III, wide receiver Jalen Nailor, defensive end Jacob Panisuik, offensive lineman AJ Arcuri, and tight end Connor Heyward. Those are sizeable losses for Michigan State, but the Spartans have replaced mass production players before.

Here are my five bold predictions for this season.

1.) MSU will have two players with 750 yards receiving, and four total over 500

Reed, a senior, finished last season with over 1,000 yards receiving, which he is expected to repeat in 2022. Junior Tre Mosley had a strong year with over 500 yards, and he will get more targets now that Nailor is off to the NFL. Fan favorite sophomore Keon Coleman has a huge frame, good speed and will continue to improve in his technique in his second year.

Illinois transfer Daniel Barker may give MSU its first marquee receiving tight end since Josiah Price graduated in 2016. Barker had 845 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during his career in Champaign, and he will get more opportunities in coordinator Jay Johnson’s offense.

Thorne knows he is “QB1” now, and doesn’t have to fight for the starting spot. He will utilize the weapons given to him even better than last season. Which leads into my next prediction…

2.) Payton Thorne will break MSU’s passing touchdown record again

Thorne broke Kirk Cousins’ record of 25 passing touchdowns last season with 27. This year, he will break his own record. Not having a rushing threat like Kenneth Walker hurts, but with the receivers listed above, it’s very possible that Thorne duplicates his success. Colorado transfer running back Jarek Broussard is more of a pass catching threat than Walker was too.

This offseason, Thorne has emerged as one of the team leaders. Coaches have vouged, and you’ve seen it first hand with some offseason workout videos.

I think Thorne will be third team All Big-Ten this season as well.

3.) Spencer Brown will solidify himself as the starting right tackle

Offensive line has been the largest question mark this offseason. The tackle position wasn’t addressed in the transfer portal, and former starter Arcuri was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams.

While players like Ethan Boyd and Brandon Baldwin are in the hunt for the starting right tackle job, I think Spencer Brown wins it. He showed some promise in the Peach Bowl last season after Jarrett Horst missed the game due to injury.

With the Spartans having only seven healthy lineman this spring, we weren’t able to get a realistic look at who the starter might be. Brown is a senior who’s transformed his body since 2018, it seems to be his time to shine.

4.) Khris Bogle will lead the team in sacks this season

Mel Tucker hits on yet another transfer. To say Bogle is “ripped” would be an understatement.

Bogle has the size and speed to be a dynamic pass rusher. Jeff Pietrowski has been getting lots of praise this offseason, but his size may limit him. With Slade and Pietrowski having the offensive line’s attention, that may free up Bogle for a lot of one-on-one situations. With his size and speed, Bogle can play every down, which will lead to more production.

Another player who may have success this year is Tank Brown, who is transitioning to defensive end.

5.) Mel Tucker will be 3-0 against Michigan

This may ruffle some feathers, but I am confident in this prediction. Both teams lost Heisman candidates this offseason, but it seems Michigan may have lost more on the defensive side. Defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, safety Dax Hill and linebacker Josh Ross were all key contributors to the Wolverines’ fierce defense. That production will be hard to return with two new coordinators as well.

Could we see another undefeated duel with playoff implications on the line again? Probably not undefeated, with MSU playing Ohio State before playing Michigan. But playoff implications could still be on the line.

Michigan should be able to manage its schedule leading up to MSU, but the turnover between players and coaches may be overwhelming. Pair that with coming off a playoff appearance and beating OSU for the first time in years and this season may be a bit of a hangover for the Wolverines.

Final Thoughts

Michigan State’s momentum as a program is genuine, but sometimes you have to take a step back before taking several steps forward. There is much to learn in the next two months before the season. Subject to change due to injuries, Spencer Brown could be the finishing piece to the offensive line. The Spartans’ pass defense struggled a year ago, but improvement starts upfront with generating a pass rush, and Bogle can help solve that issue.

As we move closer to fall camp, it will become more clear the type of team Michigan State can be in 2022. If all these bold predictions hold, they have the potential of returning to a New Year’s Six bowl. If not, they could see themselves in the seven- or eight-win range. Tucker has raised the floor of the program, but the ceiling remains unknown. 

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Aedan Mulcrone
AEDAN MULCRONE

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