What we know and don’t know about Michigan State’s running back room.
The point of this series of blog posts is pretty straight forward; to examine what we do and don’t know about each position group on the Michigan State football team.
It may seem hard to believe, but the college football season is–currently–scheduled to kick off in about three months. Time flies when you’re stuck inside. Whether or not Michigan State and the rest of the country play football this fall, or what that football looks like, is a conversation for another day. Today I want to start taking a deeper look at each position group on the team, broken down by what we know and what we don’t know. These will continue throughout the next couple of weeks until all of the positions are covered. Today: The running backs.
What we know
Elijah Collins is good at football. Bold, I know. After breaking out as a redshirt freshman, Collins’ job seems as safe as anybody’s on the team. A well-rounded runner, Collins should be prepared for another 200+ carry season. RB1 is a spot MSU fans should feel good about.
Anthony Williams Jr. can be an effective change-of-pace back. MSU fans should also feel pretty good about RB1B. That’s a confusing acronym. Anthony Williams Jr. should see plenty of touches this year. Weird injuries and ailments hampered Williams at the start of the 2019 season, but when used correctly he was effective. I think of the Pinstripe Bowl where he had seven touches for 42 yards. He was lined up in different spots and given the ball in ways other than a traditional handoff. He can catch and shake in the open field and is an excellent compliment to Collins.
Brandon Wright is still a mystery. Wright burned his redshirt last year somewhat controversially and ended up with only 18 carries in his six games. Now he’s aligned with Collins and Williams in terms of years of eligibility and sits third in the depth chart. We know he was a productive high school back and pretty well thought of as a recruit. We just don’t know much more than that.
Connor Heyward is back. After losing the starting running back job to Collins, Heyward announced his intention to transfer and left the team. Well, he has withdrawn from the portal and is back in the green and white. We know Heyward struggled at times as a traditional running back, but his abilities as a receiver mean he should be able to find a role on this team.
Jordon Simmons could play right away. MSU brings in two true freshmen at running back for 2020 and Simmons is the more highly-touted of the two. The Georgia running back had offers from Georgia, Florida, FSU, Arkansas, LSU, Michigan, and Oregon among many others. He’s a speed guy that could provide an explosive element the MSU offense has been missing for a long time.
Donovan Eaglin should take some time. Eaglin is kind of on the opposite end of the incoming freshmen spectrum when it comes to recruiting. Michigan State was his only FBS offer out of high school before Ok. Note, that’s not power five, that’s FBS. Eaglin chose MSU over offers from FCS Lamar and Eastern Illinois. Oklahoma State was also in the mix, but it isn’t clear if they offered him a scholarship.Still, there must have been something there for the previous regime to feel Eaglin deserved a Big Ten scholarship. A lot of people around Eaglin have very positive things to say about him. My best guess is that Eaglin will need some developing before we see him.
What we don’t know
What is Elijah Collins’ ceiling? Collins was definitely good as a redshirt freshman, but there is room for improvement. He can get better as a receiver and still has gains to make in his size, strength, and speed. Collins is a natural running back, but an offseason of improvement on his physical abilities could make him go from a good college back to the very best in the Big Ten. MSU will need him to carry additional weight this year as it breaks in a new quarterback in a new scheme.
Can Anthony Williams Jr. be consistent? Williams’ flashes are certainly exciting, but they were just that; flashes. The screen pass he caught in the 2019 spring game is still one of the standout plays from him at MSU and that’s not great after a full season of action. We know the ability is there, we just need to see if more often in games. Does MSU’s new scheme help bring that out of him?
Where does Brandon Wright fit in the running back room? It might be difficult for Wright to carve out a role with MSU. He’s got two sophomores above him on the depth chart and will have at least one freshman really pushing him in Simmons. We just don’t know much about him at this point and he really could have used spring ball to establish himself. Having his redshirt burned for 18 carries makes his path to success at MSU all the more difficult. Fall camp is going to be massive for his future in East Lansing.
Is Connor Heyward a running back? I’m of the belief that Connor Heyward can be a very effective football player when used correctly. I’m also of the belief that he wasn’t used correctly at all in 2019. Heyward has tremendous hands and his big frame and ability as a receiver can make him a matchup problem for smaller or slower defenders. His best spot might just be as a fullback/H-back/hybrid tight end and that is a spot MSU sorely needs some depth.
Is Jordon Simmons ready to take D1 snaps? Simmons certainly comes to MSU with some hype and seemingly a skill that the Spartans could really use in his long speed. That doesn’t mean he’s going to be immediately ready. Running back is the position that true freshmen most commonly can find success in college, but it’s far from a sure thing. Is Simmons ready to step on the field day one as a home run hitter out of the back field? He’s got the skill set, but until he gets out there and plays, we just won’t know. It’s also going to be difficult for him to find many opportunities early, so he’s going to have to make the best of the few shots he gets.
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