With Henderson gone, who will take over as the leader of the Michigan State defense?

During Mel Tucker’s tenure as head coach at Michigan State, the Spartans have been fortunate to have strong leadership at the player level on defense. That leadership hasn’t always translated into the results that Michigan State is striving for, but that leadership has kept culture strong in the face of adversity.

When Tucker took over prior to the 2020 season, Antjuan Simmons was the willing leader of the Michigan State defense as a senior. In 2021 and 2022, safety Xavier Henderson was the alpha of the Michigan State defense.

As Michigan State moves from out-of-season conditioning into spring football, it is fair to wonder which player will fill the leadership role vacated by Henderson, who started 46 games at safety in 53 career games as a four-year starter.

No returning player for Michigan State has pedigree that Henderson did to go along with the demeanor and willfulness to be a true leader. That doesn’t mean there aren’t quality candidates for the role of defensive captain.

Cal Haladay, a 23-game starter and all-around workhorse for the Michigan State defense, has paid his dues at the linebacker position. He has shown the determination to continue working without looking over his shoulder and fretting about the steady stream of transfer portal additions that may have better measurables than him, but fail to measure up on gameday. Haladay will undoubtedly be a leader on the Spartan defense, but he may not have the demeanor to get into a teammate when that is what needs to be done. Haladay makes a lot of loud plays on the field, but he is a fairly laid-back individual.

Prior to his season-ending injury in the opener against Western Michigan, Darius Snow was a defensive player that seemed primed to play a big leadership role for the Spartans. Snow has a charismatic personality, a strong work ethic, and does the little things that a leader must in order to set a proper example. Given the nature of his injury, however, and the uncertainty related to his immediate football future, it would be difficult for Snow to fill Henderson’s shoes as the leader of the Michigan State defense.

On the defensive line, defensive tackles Simeon Barrow and Maverick Hansen are both well-respected as leaders of their position group. Barrow and Hansen should have little difficulty filling the shoes of Jacob Slade as leaders on the defensive line. Can either Barrow or Hansen, however, speak for the entire defense?

That doesn’t mean there isn’t an ideal candidate to fill Henderson’s shoes as the heart and soul of the Michigan State defense.

Haladay is convinced that the man for the job is Jacoby Windmon.

“Jacoby does a good job, and I think he is a good leader,” Haladay said. “He is a natural leader, and I think that everybody respects him. He has just been here for a year, and is going on year two, but he is a good voice, and I think people will listen to him. It’s the comfort thing, people will trust him. They will respect him and listen.”

Windmon has the dedication, determination, and work ethic that earned him the acceptance and admiration of his teammates from the moment he stepped on campus as a transfer from UNLV last summer. Windmon quickly became a vocal leader for the Michigan State defense, and remained in that role until he was forced off the field by a suspension resulting from a post-game altercation in the tunnel at Michigan.

Given how his first season at Michigan State ended, no one would have blamed Windmon if he entered the NFL Draft rather than returning and playing out his eligibility at Michigan State. Windmon, who is built differently than most, wanted to finish what he started with the Spartans.

And while Windmon came to Michigan State under different circumstances than either Henderson or Simmons, who preceded him as leader for the Spartan defense. Both Henderson and Simmons were highly ranked high prospects coming out of high school, while Windmon’s lone FBS offer came from UNLV. As a linebacker, however, Windmon has the same high motor and relentless mindset as both of his predecessors.