V-Cast: what we learned on the first of practice in full pads for Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – Mid-morning rain showers forced Michigan State to practice football inside on the first day of practice in full pads on Monday. The Spartans appear, however, to have made the most of their time on the practice field, according to head coach Jonathan Smith who was pleased with the energy of his team on the first day in pads.
After practice and interviews with Smith and several players, SpartanMag.com staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk stepped outside the Tom Izzo Football building and returned to the Perles Plaza to share what they learned on the first day in pads. Continue below to watch the latest V-Cast.
V-Cast Topics
Defensive line play getting positive early returns: With the departure of proven starters Simeon Barrow and Derrick Harmon during the off-season, the defensive line was one of the biggest question marks facing Michigan State going into training camp. After the first day of practice in full pads, Smith indicated that he was pleased with what he saw from the front seven, and the defensive line in particular. Smith then singled out the spirited play of third-year defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, who is practicing in full health for the first time in two seasons, and the recent spark provided by Oregon transfer Ben Roberts. Smith’s positive review of d-line play to this point in camp was echoed by linebackers Wayne Matthews III, Jordan Turner, and Jordan Hall, each of whom was made available for interviews following Monday’s practice.
Linebacker depth: Last season Cal Haladay, Aaron Brule, and Jordan Hall received most of the game reps at linebacker for Michigan State. And each of those players was likely overworked as result. With the addition of Wayne Matthews (Old Dominion) and Jordan Turner (Wisconsin) during the offseason and the decision by Haladay and Hall to return to Michigan State to play for Smith, the Spartans have solid depth at the linebacker position for the first time in several years. With quality depth at linebacker, Michigan State has the luxury of putting linebackers in position to maximize their respective skillsets. Matthews, for example, is athletic and plays well in space, making him a particularly good option against teams that force linebackers to cover skill personnel out of the backfield. For his part, Turner is a physical linebacker that does a nice job of getting downhill and fitting against the run. As a second-year linebacker for the Spartans, Hall is thriving in Joe Rossi’s defense. On Monday, Hall also took reps at rush end, where he will likely have a role in Michigan State’s third-down package.
Names that were mentioned on first day in pads: Smith mentioned Armorion Smith and Brennan Parachek on day one in practice in pads as Spartans who have overcome adversity and put themselves in position to contribute this season. He also praised second-year offensive lineman Stanton Ramil, who is moving well in training camp with little sign of physical rust coming off an injury that ended his season a year ago. Smith also gave a shoutout to the freshmen offensive line class of Rakeem Johnson, Mercer Luniewski, Charlton Luniewski, and Rustin Young.
