Players feeling good about Michigan State's adjusted approach to spring practice

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker mentioned earlier in the week that health preservation was going to be a key objective for spring practice. 

His players have heard that would be the case throughout the winter, and they could feel a change on the first day of practice, Tuesday. They’re in favor of it. 

“Especially after last season, we were thin toward the back end of the season because of injuries and other things,” said senior wide receiver Tre Mosley. “That is our main objective right now, getting everyone through the spring healthy.”

Widespread injuries, and other issues, caused Michigan State to have 27 different starters on defense in 2022. That led to Tucker and the strength staff to look into strategies to try to limit exposure to injury and to lessen the workload this spring. 

“I think the big thing is trying to keep everyone healthy for the duration of the season,” said redshirt junior linebacker Cal Haladay. “That is going to be a goal, and coming out of the spring healthy, because we don’t need anybody hurt going into the summer. It hurt us (last year). We had a lot of starters that ended up getting hurt, and that’s just not good. 

“Overworking can cause injuries. Less is more sometimes. You can still get a lot of good work in while not abusing your body.”

Haladay was asked if heavy physical stress last spring could have led to some of the injury problems last fall.

“I think that might have been some of the problem,” he said. “I am not sure. We are not going to say no to the coaches. I can’t say that we did too much or too little. But some things happened. Everybody does it (works hard in the spring). Maybe we just had some bad luck and unfortunately we got more injuries than what normally happens.”

Practices are usually light for the first day of spring drills. The Spartans weren’t in pads on Tuesday, an NCAA mandate for the beginning of spring practice. But Mosley could see that some aspects were tweaked to limit exposure. 

“Some periods, telling the defense it might only be a tag-off versus it might be shadow,” Mosley said. “If it’s shadow, it’s going to be (defenders) not playing through the ball and letting receivers or running backs run past them and just showing that you are in position to make the play, versus trying to knock the ball out of a guy’s hands or be physical. Because when guys are competing, it can get physical and that’s how you get guys all over the place and on the ground. Stay up so we can all make it throughout spring ball.”

Last year, Michigan State had only five scholarship offensive linemen healthy and available for spring practice. Graduation, exits to the transfer portal and off-season recuperation caused the shortage in numbers on the offensive line. Michigan State had to move a pair of walk-on defensive tackles to the offensive line last spring in order to have two units who could run plays, and have a functional practice.

This year, Michigan State has 19 offensive linemen suiting up for spring practice.

“It was a lot better,” senior guard Nick Samac said of Tuesday’s practice. “I wasn’t as tired.”

Last year, the low number of offensive linemen led to a heavy workload for those who were available – like Samac.

Samac had a quality junior season in 2022 and didn’t miss any games. But he feels it’s better to spread those reps around this spring.

“It was good to get those younger guys reps and a lot more guys in the rotation and have a lot more experience going into the season,” he said.

Fifteen of Michigan State’s offensive linemen this spring are scholarship players. Four are walk-ons.

Haladay was asked if having a full complement of offensive linemen helps service the defense.

“For sure,” he said. “The trenches are where the game starts. I hope the o-line will give us a good look and compete with us and push us and they will make us better and give us a realistic look of what’s going on. I think it will benefit us both.”

Said senior quarterback Payton Thorne: “I’m sure that having numbers is going to help everybody.”

Haladay, a chemistry major, missed some of Tuesday’s practice in order to attend class. But he got a feel for the proceedings.

“I thought it was a good first day,” Haladay said. “Day one, everyone is fresh right now so it’s hard to say it was different.

“We have a lot to learn from last year. We all know that we have to focus this year and fix the things that we made mistakes on last year. This is only the start of preparation and I think that it’s going to go a long way in the spring to get the new guys up to speed with what we’ve got going on and just build on it for the fall. 

Mosley is eager to get back on the practice field Thursday.

“The first day, it could have been better, it could have been worse,” he said. “The first day is when guys knock the rust off and get back into the groove of things. It was good to see everyone out there and get out of the first day healthy.”