Tag: msu spartans

Former Michigan State wide receiver Andre Rison alleges former assistant slapped him before game

Rison says Carl “Buck” Nystom slapped him before a game in 1986.

Michigan State Hall of Fame receiver Andre Rison told ESPN on Monday that former assistant coach Carl “Buck” Nystom slapped him prior to a game against Illinois in 1986.

“Back then, you just thought it was part of being tough and being a football player that wanted to make it to the National Football League (and) ultimately change the living situations of my mom, brother, sisters and family,” Rison told ESPN.

Nystrom, who was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 2014, was an All-American offensive lineman for the Spartans in the 1950s. He later returned to MSU as an assistant coach under George Perles.

Rison told ESPN that Nick Saban, then an MSU defensive assistant, was one of the people that talked with Rison after the incident.

Rison also told ESPN that he doesn’t feel welcome in the program. Rison’s son Hunter played football for MSU for one season in 2017, but transferred to Kansas State to seek more playing time. Hunter was arrested for domestic battery before suiting up for the Wildcats.

Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker launches new podcast “Tucker Talks”

Tucker previously co-hosted a podcast while the head coach at Colorado.

It’s true, everybody has a podcast these days.

New Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker has re-entered the podcast game with “Tucker Talks” and his debut episode with NFL kicker Robbie Gould is out now.

Tucker is no stranger to having a podcast. At Colorado Tucker hosted a podcast called “Mel Tucker’s Inside Zone,” where he would chat with players, former players, and analysts about football and life. By the looks of it, “Tucker Talks” will be more of the same.

MSU’s football coach having his own podcast is certainly a departure from the previous regime, as have been Tucker’s weekly Instagram Live chats, also called “Tucker Talks.” It’s a fair guess that the podcast will be replacing those Instagram Live sessions.

You can find “Tucker Talks” wherever you get your podcasts.

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Mark Dantonio named second-team All-Decade coach by Big Ten Network

Dantonio won 92 games and three Big Ten titles at Michigan State during the decade.

Former Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio has been named second-team All-Decade by the Big Ten Network.

Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer took home the first team honors.

Dantonio won 92 games during the decade, the most in the conference during that time span. He also led the Spartans to three Big Ten titles, tied for second-most in the conference with Wisconsin. Ohio State led the way with four and a national title. Outside of Meyer, Dantonio is the only Big Ten coach to lead his team to the College Football Playoff, which he did in 2015.

In total four Spartans were named to the two All-Decade teams. Darqueze Dennard and Mike Sadler earned first-team honors while Shilique Calhoun joined Dantonio on the second team.

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Mike Sadler named All-Decade punter by Big Ten Network

Sadler is the second Spartan named All-Decade by the Big Ten Network

There might not be a more appropriate representation of the Mark Dantonio era at Michigan State than a punter being named first-team All-Decade.

Forever Spartan Mike Sadler has been named just that by the Big Ten Network, becoming just the second Spartan to make the first team.

Sadler was twice named first-team All-Big Ten during his four-year career and was first team All-American in 2013. He led the nation in punts downed inside the 20 that season. Sadler was also a four-time Academic All-American and authored a number of magical trick plays during his time punting. And who could forget the fan-driven #Sadler4HeismanCampaign that wasn’t totally farcical.

Sadler was set to attend Stanford Law School in 2016 when he and Nebraska punter Sam Foltz were tragically killed in a car accident that July. In his memory The Michael Sadler Foundation was formed to help recognize and build a generation of young students-athlete leaders.

It’s rare that a punter becomes more than just the guy who trots on the field to kick the ball away on fourth down. Mike Sadler far outshone that typical punter status, both on the field and off.

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Darqueze Dennard makes Big Ten Network All-Decade team

Dennard is the first Spartan to be named to the BTN All-Decade team.

Finally.

Despite winning three Big Ten titles in the last decade the Michigan State football team had been skunked through the first two days of the Big Ten Network’s All-Decade team. Former Michigan State star and founding member of the No Fly Zone Darqueze Dennard has put a stop to that with his selection.

Dennard starred at Michigan State during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He was twice first-team All-Big Ten and was a unanimous All-American in 2013. He won the Thorpe Award and the Tatum Award as the nation’s top defensive back in 2013 before being a first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014.

You can check out Dennard’s interview regarding the selection below.

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WATCH: Michigan State running backs review linebackers’ Spotify playlist in the Battle of the Aux

It’s the final matchup in MSU football’s Battle of the Aux

The Battle of the Aux rages within the (virtual) walls of Michigan State football.

A few weeks ago (and for a primer on what the hell I’m writing about) the offensive and defensive lines–dubbed “Juice Squad” and “A.W.O.L” (Animals Without a Leash), respectively, battled by putting together Spotify playlists to represent the position groups. Then they reviewed each others’ playlists and fans voted on the winner. The defensive line won that first matchup going away. After that, the QBs “Gunslingers” went up against the TEs “The Arsenal” with the QBs coming out on top. That was followed by the DBs “No Fly Zone” taking on the receivers “Ice Gang.” The defensive backs took home the win in that one.

Our final matchup is the running backs “Chain Gang” against the linebackers “Bomb Squad.”

Today we have the running backs reviewing the playlist from the linebackers.

A Twitter poll will be posted later in the week for the fans to vote for the winner.

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WATCH: Michigan State LBs review running backs’ Spotify playlist in the Battle of the Aux

It’s the final position group matchup the the Battle of the Aux

The Battle of the Aux rages within the (virtual) walls of Michigan State football.

A few weeks ago (and for a primer on what the hell I’m writing about) the offensive and defensive lines–dubbed “Juice Squad” and “A.W.O.L” (Animals Without a Leash), respectively, battled by putting together Spotify playlists to represent the position groups. Then they reviewed each others’ playlists and fans voted on the winner. The defensive line won that first matchup going away. After that, the QBs “Gunslingers” went up against the TEs “The Arsenal” with the QBs coming out on top. That was followed by the DBs “No Fly Zone” taking on the receivers “Ice Gang.” The defensive backs took home the win in that one.

Our final matchup is the running backs “Chain Gang” against the linebackers “Bomb Squad.”

First up we have the linebackers checking out the songs the running backs put on their playlist.

 

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: EMONI BATES COMMITS TO MICHIGAN STATE

Let’s party!

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Wil and Matt react to the news that Emoni Bates, the best high school prospect since LeBron James, has committed to Michigan State.

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

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Check out this documentary of new Michigan State commit Emoni Bates

Michigan filmmakers made a documentary of the top high school prospect in 2019.

Emoni Bates made headlines Monday afternoon when he committed to Michigan State basketball on an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Bates is rated as the number on high school prospect in the country and the top prospect since LeBron James.

In 2019 Michigan filmmakers Matt Schoch and Greg DeLiso put together a documentary on the rising talent out of Ypsilanti, MI. Check it out.

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Top high school prospect Emoni Bates commits to Michigan State

BOOOOOOOOOM. Number one high school basketball prospect-regardless of class-Emoni Bates has committed to Michigan State University. Bates appeared on ESPN’s 1:00 p.m. Sportscenter to announce the decision. He also talked about the forming of Ypsi …

BOOOOOOOOOM.

Number one high school basketball prospect–regardless of class–Emoni Bates has committed to Michigan State University.

Bates appeared on ESPN’s 1:00 p.m. Sportscenter to announce the decision. He also talked about the forming of Ypsi Prep Academy specifically for high level basketball recruits.

Bates also told anchors Jay Harris and Hannah Storm that he wasn’t sure what his future would be holding, indicating that a professional route could still be in the cards.

Rumors had been circling earlier in the day that Bates would be announcing his intention to reclassify to 2021 and committing to Michigan State on his Sportscenter appearance. Bates made no indication that he would be reclassifying. During the interview he cited MSU and Tom Izzo’s loyalty as reasons he committed to Michigan State.

When the recruiting communication period opened for class of 2022 recruits, Tom Izzo was the only coach to contact Bates. Many college coaches skipped recruiting the talented wing because it was seen as unlikely that he would ever spend a year in college. Bates has been considered the top high school prospect regardless of class since he entered high school. He is thought of by many analysts as the best high school prospect since either Kevin Durant or LeBron James.

Bates led his Ypsilianti team to a state title as a freshman in 2019 while winning the Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan. He followed that up by being the first sophomore to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was named Michigan AP Division 1 Player of the Year and Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year for a second straight season. Bates averaged 32.3 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game in his second year of high school ball.

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