Spartans’ Captain Maverick Hansen Defending Opponents From the End zone
Just like the classic movie "Top Gun," Maverick Hansen of the Michigan State Spartans looks to use his experience and instincts to complete tasks in the blink of an eye for the betterment of the unit.
In his sixth season with the Spartans, the 6-4, 310-pound defensive lineman from Farmington Hills, Michigan, looks to make an impact on this year's team and put a stamp on his career in the Green and White.
Impact is something he has done on and off the field. It has been seen by fans, coaches, and, most importantly, his teammates. His respect from his teammates was shown recently when they voted him to be one of the five team captains for the 2024 season. Joining Hansen are Aidan Chiles, Nate Carter, Tanner Miller and Jordan Turner.
Hansen looks to use his experience to impact not only the future defensive lineman but all players on the football team, leading by example on and off the field.
On the field, Hansen has accomplished many things, seeing action in over 40 games, snagging 90 career tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks to highlight. But more impressively is his ability to produce not only on game days but every day in the classroom setting. He has been selected four times to the Academic All-Big Ten and four times awarded the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Hansen's hard work in the classroom connects well to his film study on the gridiron, preparing himself, like a test or project, to be in the right place at the right time, depending on the call and the formation he sees by the other team's offense. Hansen will be one of the big targets on other teams' radar, like a fighter jet up in the air, but the Spartans are confident they have trained him well for batter and know he will be just fine.
Hansen will look to anchor the defense and flip the script on last year's miscues. There are some stats that are out of individual control, but there are a few things this group needs to improve on from last season, like forcing turnovers and making plays on fourth down.
Michigan State had the second-worst fourth-down conversion defense in the Big Ten last season, giving up the conversion 71.4 percent of the time for the other team. They were second-to-worst in forcing fumbles, with only six on the entire season, only beating out Wisconsin.
Those big fourth-down moments and extra jabs thrown at the ball can pay dividends in the outcome of these games this season. It won’t be easy, but having smart ball players in key moments only benefits teams, and a smart ball player is exactly what the Spartans have in Hansen.
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JACK BEULKE