Tag: Michigan State Football

NCAA updates Football rules related to targeting, jersey numbers, instant replay

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel has added some new rule changes for the 2020 season.

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On Tuesday, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel announced some new rule changes for the 2020 Football season. The rules were updated in relation to targeting, player jersey numbers, and instant replay.

Here is a brief summary of the rule updates:

  • Players who have been disqualified for targeting in a game are now allowed to remain on the sidelines starting with this season. Starting in 2013 players were forced to head to the locker room after a targeting disqualification.
  • Officials will now be expected to complete instant replay reviews in under two minutes, according to new guidelines set by the panel. This move was made in order to improve the pace of play.
  • Only two players on the same team can now wear the same jersey number. Those players must play different positions and cannot be on the field at the same time. Players can also now wear “0” as a legal number.

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Michigan State Football NFL Draft Preview: Raequan Williams

Williams looks to be a solid day three prospect in many NFL Draft analysts’ eyes

Continuing our series looking at different Michigan State Football alumni who are heading into this week’s NFL Draft we come to a man known for plugging up running lanes and making splash plays in the backfield: Raequan Williams

Williams’ stock has been steady as a day three selection, but has certainly flashed some upside potential at the college level.

The SpartansWire take:

Raequan Williams is a really good dude that Michigan State fans are rooting to see succeed. His leadership and character are outstanding by all accounts and that could help make the difference for him as a day three pick. Williams was a big reason why Michigan State fared so well in run defense during his time in the green and white. He moves well in the muck of interior line play and showed the ability to get himself in the backfield and make plays.

His combine wasn’t the best and there are concerns about his overall strength and athleticism. He seems like the type of guy that is going to do whatever he can to make his professional career work, so I would imagine he will take to professional coaching and strength training very well. That will be important for him if he wants to elevate to a consistent defensive line rotation player at the next level.

What analysts are saying:

DraftWire has Williams ranked 171st overall, which puts him in the early fifth round.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. told local media that he thought Williams had the potential to be a good day three (rounds 4-7) pick.

Williams received a 5.86 grade from Scouts Inc. which qualifies as a backup/special teams player. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said of Williams:

“Grade will likely be tied to specific positional fit for each organization. Williams is long-legged and plays with below-average bend and twitch. He struggles to hold the point versus angle blocks but shows an ability to get skinny and disrupt in the backfield. He’s not as long as he looks but has versatility to play in odd or even fronts at a variety of spots. His bull rush generates pocket push and might translate, but he needs to keep adding strength and counters to diversify his rush plan. He’s a backup-caliber interior defender worthy of a Day 3 selection.”

NFL Combine Results:

Height: 6-4

Weight: 308

Arms: 33 3/8″

Hands: 9 3/8″

40-yard dash: 5.04 seconds

Bench press: 17 reps

Vertical jump: 25.5 inches

Broad jump: 101.0 inches

3-Cone drill: 7.72 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.78 seconds

College Stats:

49 games, 157 tackles, 29 TFLs, 11.5 sacks, 8 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles

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Michigan State Football NFL Draft Preview: Joe Bachie

Michigan State captain Joe Bachie is eligible for the NFL Draft. Here is everything you need to know about Bachie’s draft chances.

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Continuing our series looking at different Michigan State Football alumni who are heading into this week’s NFL Draft we come to the man who was Michigan State’s starting middle linebacker for the better part of the three seasons: Joe Bachie.

The former First-Team All-Big Ten and two-time team captain will be entering the draft after missing the final five games of the season due to a suspension relating to PEDs.

The SpartansWire take:

If you enter Joe Bachie’s vicinity, you are going to be tackled. Bachie is a tackling machine who was Michigan State’s true defensive leader, as well as their heart and soul, for three seasons.

I have no doubt that he has a role to play in the NFL, however, it is hard not to see the criticisms of Bachie. Despite posting solid speed numbers at the combine, he did not flash must quick speed at the college level. Also noted by some analysts below, he would also struggle to shed blocks at times.

Basically, if you come near Bachie and he isn’t being caught up in a mess of blocks, he will tackle you more often than not. If he has to cover a lot of distance or blockers to make a tackle, things get tougher for him. That might limit his upside in the NFL but I think as a reliable tackler who can helm a defense I don’t think it would be absurd for him to go in the third or fourth round.

What analysts are saying:

DraftWire has Bachie as their No. 203 ranked draft prospect which puts him in the 5th round.

Pro Football Network:

“Bachie is an underrated and overlooked linebacker who will be underdrafted in April. He presents himself as a three-down defender who stands out against the run and can also play in zone coverage on passing downs. Bachie also comes with a special-teams mentality. He’ll be great value on day three of the draft and can develop into a starter at the next level.”

NFL.com:

“His technique and play recognition will stand out for defensive coaches, but it might not matter if his speed and athletic testing don’t check out.”

The Athletic:

“Overall, Bachie is an active, intense competitor with the toughness and awareness required for the pro game, but his athletic limitations might make it tough for him to surpass backup status in the NFL.”

Daniel Jeremiah:

“You have what happened with him missing games. … I thought he did a good job directing traffic,” Jeremiah said. “He can float, sort and fill and make some plays there. I just thought he had really average speed and range and I didn’t anticipate he would get drafted.”

NFL Combine Results:

Height: 6-1

Weight: 230

Arms: 31 5/8″

Hands: 10 1/4″

40-yard dash: 4.67 seconds

Bench press: 26 reps (2nd among LBs)

Vertical jump: 33.5 inches

Broad jump: 119.0 inches

3-Cone drill: 6.93 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.34 seconds

60-yard shuttle: N/A

College Stats:

285 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles

ESPN’s Football Power Index predicts Michigan State to go 4-8 in 2020

ESPN’s advanced college football metric thinks Mel Tucker is in for a long first year

Mel Tucker’s first year at Michigan State–if it even happens–is looking like it could be a rough one; at least according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).

Michigan State is slotted 67th in the latest preseason FPI rankings. That ranking, combined with their tough schedule, has Michigan State finishing a projected 4-8 in Tucker’s first season. FPI gives the Spartans a 0.0% chance of winning the Big Ten.

ESPN’s FPI also projects the percent chance a team has of winning a specific game. There are only three games on Michigan State’s entire schedule in which FPI gives them a better than 50% chance of winning: vs. Toledo, vs. Miami, and vs. Rutgers.

Let’s see what FPI has to say about each Michigan State opponent in 2020.

Week 1 vs. Northwestern – 26.2%

Gone are the Friday night specials getting to beat up on lower-level group of five teams. Michigan State starts the season at home against what looks to be a pretty good Northwestern team.

Week 2 @ BYU – 39.8%

BYU might just be the common denominator for truly terrible Michigan State seasons. The Spartans lost to the Cougars at home in 2016 and now have to travel all the way to Provo, Utah in week two.

Week 3 vs. Toledo – 78.8%

Even this game is far from a gimme. Toledo has had some really nice football teams the last decade and could easily put a scare into a young Michigan State team.

Week 4 vs. Miami – 50.9%

I’m always surprised when I see MSU is projected to beat Miami. I think it says more about just how bad the ACC is going to be this year.

Week 5 @ Iowa – 14.2%

Winning on the road at Iowa is hard enough with a really good team.

Week 6 vs. Michigan – 21.8%

It might be a couple years before Tucker is able to swing the Michigan State vs. UofM rivalry back around.

Week 7 vs. Ohio State – 3.4%

Ohio State is going to absolutely bludgeon every single team they play this year en route to the College Football Playoff and probably a national title.

Week 8 @ Indiana – 14.9%

Indiana was good last year and is going to be better this year so long as Mike Penix Jr. stays healthy. Winning in their place is going to be really tough.

Week 9 vs. Minnesota – 31.1%

Even Minnesota is up right now. PJ Feck has the Golden Gophers cruising towards back-to-back double-digit win seasons. Good thing he’s going to bolt from there real soon.

Week 10 @ Penn State – 4.6%

Same analysis as the Iowa game. Although MSU certainly has had some weird upsets over Penn State the last few years.

Week 11 vs. Rutgers – 66.7%

Hooray for Rutgers! (Please don’t lose to Rutgers)

Week 12 @ Maryland – 45.7%

Another toss-up game. Mike Locksley might have things turned around a bit in College Park, but the Terps are still a ways away from being a quality team.

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MSU Football offers 3-star RB Kevin Winston Jr., teammate of recent commit Antoine Booth

Michigan State Football has offered 3-star RB Kevin Winston Jr., who is the teammate of recent MSU commit Antoine Booth at DeMatha.

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On Monday, Michigan State Football and head coach Mel Tucker received a commitment from 3-star cornerback Antoine Booth out of DeMetha Catholic High School in Baltimore, Maryland. The next day, MSU offered one of his most talented teammates in 2022 prospect Kevin Winston Jr., who announced his offer on Twitter on Tuesday.

Winston is the No. 15 ranked player in the state of Maryland according to 247sports and their No. 43 ranked running back in the 2022 class. As of right now he only has offers from Maryland and Michigan State according to 247sports.

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MSU Football offers 5-star DT Travis Shaw, top-30 player in 2022 recruiting class

Michigan State has offered top-30 DT Travis Shaw out of Grimsley High School in North Carolina.

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Michigan State Football and head coach Mel Tucker have been offering a TON of 2022 recruits scholarships this week. One of the most intriguing offers sent out on Tuesday was to Travis Shaw. The 5-star defensive tackle out of Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina announced his offer on Tuesday afternoon.

Shaw is the No. 3 ranked DT in the 2022 class according to 247sports and their top ranked prospect in the state of North Carolina for 2022. While 247sports has him listed as a 4-star recruit, Rivals has him at a 5-star. Regardless, 247sports has him at No. 30 overall for the 2022 class making him one of the biggest recruits in the country.

Shaw has offers from all the usual suspects in Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State and more.

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Where every MSU Football player ranks on The Athletic’s top-300 NFL Draft Board

Dane Brugler of The Athletic released his top-300 draft board Tuesday. Here is where every Michigan State player placed.

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Dane Brugler of The Athletic just put out a very thorough top-300 NFL Draft Board, which you can read here. Brugler’s Board features a few different draft-eligible Spartans, which we will list below along with a short passage from Brugler’s story. Of course, you’ll need to fire up a subscription to The Athletic, or use a free trial, to read his full scouting report on each player, and I encourage you to do so.

  • No. 91: Josiah Scott, CB
    • “Overall, Scott’s lack of size, length and strength show up on tape, but so does his foot quickness and compete skills to mirror and match, projecting as a subpackage rookie with potential to be more.”
  • No. 157: Kenny Willekes, DE
    • “Overall, Willekes lacks the anchor and length to be a consistent edge-setter vs. NFL offensive tackles, but his resilient mentality and competitive motor translate to production, which should land him in a defensive line rotation.”
  • No. 162: Joe Bachie, LB
    • “Overall, Bachie is an active, intense competitor with the toughness and awareness required for the pro game, but his athletic limitations might make it tough for him to surpass backup status in the NFL.”
  • No. 220: Raequan Williams, DT
    • “Overall, Williams has a reliable play motor with the lateral quickness, length and strong hands to earn snaps as a one-technique, although his hurried play style and lack of consistency project him as more of a backup.”

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: Antoine Booth commits, NFL Draft chat

What Michigan State Spartan do we most want to end up on the Lions?

Wil and Matt talk about Michigan State’s latest football commit and where the 2021 recruiting class sits with six players. Then they talk about the NFL Draft and play a game of “You only get one” with the Detroit Lions and MSU prospects.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Michigan State Football offers two 2021 3-star QBs scholarships

The Spartans have offered Chayden Peery and Kyron Drones scholarships.

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Michigan State Football has started sending out offers on a seemingly hourly basis. Among those who received offers on Monday were two highly ranked 2021 3-star QBs in Chayden Peery out of Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California and Kyron Drones out of Shadow Creek High School in Pearland, Texas.

Peery is the No. 14 ranked pro-style QB in the 2021 class according to 247sports and the No. 47 ranked player in California according to their composite rankings. Peery currently has offers from Boise State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, and Arizona State among others.

Kyron Drones on the other hand is a dual-threat QB, ranked No. 12 out of all dual-threat quarterbacks in the country according to 247sports. They also have him as the No. 49 player in the state of Texas. He has offers out from Auburn, Ole Miss, Baylor, Northwestern, and more. Coach Mel Tucker had an offer out to Drones back when he was at Colorado.

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MSU Football offers 2022 4-star OLB Jaylen Sneed, Top-5 player in South Carolina

Michigan State has offered one of the top players in South Carolina for the class of 2022.

As the 2021 recruiting season starts to heat up, one thing we have noticed is that Michigan State has seemingly been sending out as many 2022 offers as 2021 offers these days. The latest 2022 prospect to receive an offer was 4-star outside linebacker Jaylen Sneed out of Hilton Head High School in South Carolina.

Sneed is the No. 4 player in South Carolina according to the 247sports rankings and the No. 20 outside linebacker in the 2022 class according to those same rankings.

The announcement was made by Sneed’s coach, BJ Payne:

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