Five Takeaways from Michigan State's spring 'game' on Saturday
On Saturday, Michigan State welcomed fans inside Spartan Stadium for the first time since their 30-27 win over Penn State in the regular season finale back on Nov. 27.
Despite a 41-degree day, there were an estimated 15,000 fans on hand to take in the Spartans' final practice of spring football. In lieu of the annual Green-White spring game, head coach Mel Tucker and his staff chose to utilize an "open practice" format, due to Michigan State's lack of depth at O-line at this team of the year.
Here were my biggest takeaways from what I saw on Saturday...
1.) Noah Kim leads the backup QB race for now
We got to see five quarterbacks make throws during position drills, 7-on-7 drills and scrimmage sessions vs. a live defense. Payton Thorne is the clear starter right now, and based on what I saw, Noah Kim appears to be leading the pack for the backup spot.
Kim impressed me with his arm strength and accuracy, particularly on his deep throws. He had one of the 'highlight plays' of the day on offense, dropping a 45-to-50 yard dime during 7-on-7 drills to a tightly covered Jayden Reed, who made a one-handed grab and fell into the end zone.
Kim also has the advantage of having been in MSU's system longer than fellow backup options Hamp Fay and Katin Houser, and perhaps that's why Kim was able to match Thorne's comfort level during practice — he was relaxed and under control throughout the day.
There's a long way to go between now and September, and Mel Tucker himself said that nothing has been decided about who will back up Thorne, but Kim looks to be in the lead for now.
2. Darius Snow is a 'dude' on defense
Michigan State is experimenting with the 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior, but it's clear that Darius Snow needs to be on the field often for the Spartans. After playing safety throughout the season last year, Snow has been working with the linebackers a lot this spring, and lined up at both positions today during practice.
Snow was involved on both of the 'highlight plays' made by the defense on Saturday. The first was during 7-on-7 drills, when Snow dropped into coverage, read the quarterback's eyes and exploded to the flat to deliver a big hit on a completed pass to tight end Jackson Morse. His hit jarred the ball loose, and linebacker Jacoby Windmon scooped up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, much to the delight of the Spartan Stadium crowd.
The second play came during the scrimmage session. The first team offense faced a 4th-and-15 while trying to get in field goal range. Thorne threw over the middle to Reed right at the first down marker, but Snow delivered a big hit on Reed to break up what would have been a completed pass.
Michigan State's coaching staff has talked all spring about getting the best players on the field, and getting more speed on the field — Snow checks both of those boxes for the Spartans.
3. MSU's O-line needs healthy bodies and improvement
We knew the situation at offensive line was less than ideal, and we got a front row view of that on Saturday. Michigan State had only eight healthy bodies during O-line drills, and two of those guys are converted defensive lineman.
During the scrimmage session, the first team offensive line went like this: LT - Brandon Baldwin, LG - Kevin Wigenton, C - Nick Samac, RG - Dallas Fincher, RT - Spencer Brown. Meanwhile, Evan Brunning and Jacob LaFave are the converted D-lineman who worked with the O-line today, and redshirt freshman Ethan Boyd was involved too.
The offensive line struggled in pass protection throughout the scrimmage session, allowing many quarterback pressures and a few "sacks" by the defense — quarterbacks could not be hit on Saturday, but three or four plays were blown dead due to pressure.
Michigan State has guys like Jarrett Horst, Matt Carrick, J.D. Duplain and others expected to return from injury this summer, and the Spartans will be adding four true freshman O-lineman to the roster soon. That will help, but it's clear that O-line coach Chris Kapilovic has a lot of work to do to add depth behind the Spartans' first unit this fall.
4. Ben VanSumeren's situation remains unclear
Just about one month ago, on the eve of spring practice getting underway, linebacker Ben VanSumeren entered the transfer portal after just one season with the Spartans — having transferred in from rival Michigan.
VanSumeren was listed on the spring practice roster however, and Tucker announced that the fifth-year senior would participate with the Spartans throughout spring ball.
On Saturday, VanSumeren didn't just participate in drills — he was one of the two linebackers on the field with the first team defense, alongside redshirt sophomore Cal Haladay. For what it's worth, VanSumeren looked good today — he had a nice pass breakup and recorded a sack during the scrimmage session, and his presence was definitely felt.
So, is VanSumeren going to pull a Connor Heyward and remove his name from the portal to stay in East Lansing? As of now we're not sure, but we saw fellow linebacker Ma'a Gaoteote do just that earlier this year. Adding to the mystery is the fact that VanSumeren's younger brother, Alex, was the Spartans' highest-ranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out.
5. Jalen Berger looks good, MSU rotates running backs
It's hard to accurately gauge where Michigan State's running backs are at right now, due to the situation at offensive line. With that in mind, nobody really 'popped' in the backfield today.
Wisconsin transfer Jalen Berger was the first guy on the field with the first team offense during the scrimmage session, and he would be my bet to be the "starting" running back this fall, but that's based more on his two years of experience with the Badgers than anything else. It took some time for Berger to get fully healthy this spring, but it sounded like he started to come into his own a bit over the last week or so. Berger looked good today on his limited carries as well.
We also saw a fair amount of Elijah Collins as well – who might be the No. 2 guy right now. He looked good on a couple receptions out in the flat, turning upfield for some yardage. Michigan State mixed in other guys as well – Harold Joiner fills out every bit of his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, and he’ll be a load for anyone to bring down.
We heard a bunch about Davion Primm this spring, but he was mostly quiet during today’s open practice on the handful of carries that he got – so we’ll continue to wait and see on him for now. Jordon Simmons got some carries in short-yardage situations as well.
