Michigan State football hoping depth and 'mix of abilities' brings out best of linebackers

EAST LANSING – A week into preseason camp, Michigan State football put the pads on Monday morning. Jonathan Smith made sure his players got in some live tackling, too.

Even it was only 24 plays, about eight reps per guy, and in a very controlled setting.

“Limited amount, but some live tackling,” the first-year coach said afterward. “I thought it was good for the guys to continue to progress and play. They're working hard. A week into it, I've been pleased with the effort, attention to detail. We're throwing a lot at them. It's not flawless, perfect in any way, but I do appreciate the effort these guys are giving and battling each other day in and day out.”

Perhaps symbolically, or maybe due to a scheduling error, the Spartans also brought out three linebackers to talk to the media. And they wanted to make their presence known.

Not with their hitting, but with some bold prognosticating.

“I think that we have the best linebacker room in the country,” second-year linebacker Jordan Hall declared. “I honestly believe that.”

There remains a lot ahead to prove that on the field.

New defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s aggressive 4-3 scheme relies sometimes on having an extra linebacker bringing pressure off the edge. Hall said he has been working on that, and he is back in the middle of the defense alongside senior Cal Haladay. Those two combined for 1,158 snaps between them, with Haladay’s 644 second-most on the team, and the Spartans lost 571 snaps with the graduation loss of Aaron Brule.

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But beyond those three, the linebacker corps went from thin to decimated by the end of season with injuries and attrition. Jacoby Windmon got hurt early and was lost for the season before leaving for the NFL, and Darius Snow got shut down for the second straight season after four games.

That led Smith and Rossi to actively seek linebacker depth after they arrived, bringing in transfers Jordan Turner from Wisconsin and Wayne Matthews III from Old Dominion and getting Brady Pretzlaff to enroll early.

Snow is back on the field again, and Aaron Alexander returns for his second season after transferring in from Massachusetts. MSU also pulled 2023 four-star prospect Semaj Bridgeman from Michigan via the portal with four years left to play and Miami (Florida) transfer Marcellius Pulliam with three years of remaining eligibility.

“The cool thing is, I think there's a mix of abilities. I think there's some mix of ages,” Rossi said Thursday. “We got a guy who's in his last year, a guy who's got two years left, we got a guy with three years left and we got a guy with four years left. And that was kind of important to us, that it wasn't three guys with a year, because then all you're doing is creating your own problems for the next year.

“So there's different skill sets. They're all great people. We got some years on him. So it's a good group.”

Turner, a Farmington Hills native, returned for his final season of eligibility after starting 18 of his 30 career games with the Badgers at inside linebacker. Matthews has two years remaining and was rated the No. 4 linebacker in the portal, according to 247Sports.com and received a preseason All-Big Ten third-team from Phil Steele’s College Football ’24 magazine.

Though there has been a coaching change, and along with it a shift in buzz phrases and terminology, Matthews pointed to something the previous staff talked about constantly – attention to detail – as necessary for success.

“Football is a contact sport. Guys go down sometimes, so you got to be ready to fill in that spot,” said Matthews, like Hall a Maryland native who earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors last fall as a sophomore. “So you got to know what you're doing at all times.”

Rossi believes having more options in the middle of his defense will be critical to helping MSU improve its pass rush and coverage.

“With some of the additions that we've had from the spring and in the summer,” Hall said, “we'll be able to rotate, keep everybody fresh and healthy.”

Smith said the target remains Saturday for the Spartans to hold their first of what is expected to be two scrimmages during camp. MSU opens at home against Florida Atlantic on August 30 (7 p.m./Big Ten Network).

“Defensively, we've got potential. But it's gotta come together,” Smith said Monday. “I do think it's pretty competitive in regards to the depth and then where you're going to land on the depth chart. I mean, there's still a lot to be decided there.”

Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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For openers: Owls

Matchup: Michigan State (4-8 in 2023) vs. Florida Atlantic (4-8 in 2023).

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Aug. 30; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).