EXCLUSIVE: MSU LB Target Savage Brings Key Trait
Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi made it clear when he laid out the prototypical Rossi linebacker to reporters in August.
"Long, athletic, and smart," Rossi said. "That's what we look for and that's a sliding scale, OK. And what I mean by that -- if a guy's 6-foot and runs 4.4, that's cool. But if you're going to be a low 4.8, you better be 6-foot-3 and a half. So my point is -- it slides, but the ideal thing, if I'm just giving you three, it's length, it's athleticism, and it's intelligence. Not necessarily in that order."
When regarding the Mike specifically, Rossi highlighted a common thread.
"You got to have guys that are comfortable in space," Rossi said. "You wouldn't even think that I would say that to start with the Mike, but you know, the Mike ends up out of the box all of the time in three-by-one formations, and so the guy has got to be physical and he's got to be able to stop the run, all those things, I got it. If you're getting recruited as a Mike, you got to have that skillset but you got to be comfortable in coverage. Doesn't mean you're playing man-to-man on people all the time, but it just means you got to be able to go out there play in space and function."
Coverage, coverage, coverage. That's the name of the modern, pass-happy game. Thus the reason Michigan State and Rossi are recruiting athletic linebacker prospects like Ryle (Kentucky) star Jacob Savage, a 2026 gem at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds.
A two-way player who plays running back and runs a low 4.6 40-yard dash, I spoke with Savage about his ability in coverage. He can handle business, to say the least.
"It's definitely coverage I've gotten a lot better at," he told me. "My coverage wasn't tested a whole lot this year because, you know, a lot of teams didn't really throw in the middle, or I had to kind of QB spy. But these past couple years, seven-on-seven and practice, I've definitely been honing in and focusing on the coverage side--which I think I've gotten a lot better and you know, with the speed helping me in man coverage as well guarding running backs out of the backfield."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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