East Lansing — The expectations are high and the energy is contagious among the Michigan State football team, which continued its third week of spring practices Thursday.
The Spartans are entering a new era following a disappointing 9-15 record over the last two seasons under then-head coach Jonathan Smith. Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is now at the helm of the program, along with nearly an entirely new staff, and the energy is noticeably different among both the players and coaches.
Transfers finding close ‘brotherhood’ in new home
Michigan State added 30 new players via the transfer portal, along with losing a fair amount to it as well, which is expected with a head-coaching switch. A new home does not always translate to success, however, as the adjustments go beyond the gridiron.
The sentiment around the team’s newcomers is that of hopeful expectancy, with a number of transfers emphasizing the family-like atmosphere that East Lansing has brought so far.
Transfer defensive back Tre Bell had a rather interesting introduction to MSU. Bell mentioned how his apartment was not ready for his first few weeks, resulting in him having to stay with players like quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and linebacker Jordan Hall. It was in this time, however, where he noticed the tight-knitted camaraderie of the team.
“It was just getting to know them since not knowing them at all,” Bell said. “It just felt like after the first night like they’ve been my friends for like 10 years. That just speaks to the whole entire locker room and even the school as a whole. Like you’re walking around campus and everybody’s really nice and even the people working on Grand River at restaurants. It just feels like a family.”
Hall is seen as the leader of the Spartans defense, being one of the longest-tenured Spartans in what will be his senior year. The leadership was present immediately upon arrival for Bell, who mentioned the relationship with Hall.
“We spent a lot of time getting to know each other, playing games and stuff like that and going to the golf simulator and just interacting,” Bell said. “It made everything a lot easier to transition because I had guys that I knew.”
Running back Cam Edwards was another big addition for the Spartans in the portal following a season in which he tallied 1,240 yards and 15 touchdowns at Connecticut. Edwards is very likely the frontrunner for the RB1 spot on the team.
Edwards mentioned that for the team to do good, the connection both on-and-off the field are crucial, and that bond was made easy right off the start.
“It’s really a brotherhood here, everybody’s bought in,” Edwards said. “You can just feel the connection to all the players, even between the transfers and the guys that were here beforehand. We are all really close; we do team-bonding stuff like that, and I think overall it’s really just a love for the team and a brotherhood.”
New faces and new memo in RB room
One of the big additions for the Spartans in the offseason was not found in a player, but in a coach. Devon Spalding was hired on to Fitzgerald’s staff as the running backs coach following successful seasons in the position at Wisconsin, with stops also at Cincinnati and Youngstown State.
Spalding is a Michigan native, earning all-state honors as a running back for Westland John Glenn followed by a strong career at Central Michigan. Growing up exposed to the competitive nature of Michigan State football and the Big Ten, Spalding mentioned how East Lansing was always a tough place to play and never forgets his time as an opponent in his earlier coaching years.
The sentiment of his time, although young, at Michigan State so far has been nothing short of excitement for what he calls a deep running back room with great competition so far. Spalding had a lot to say about each player at the position and what they’ve showed so far in spring practices.
Edwards was singled out by Spalding, who emphasized his commitment both on the field and off.
“(Cam) takes a lot of pride in playing the position and takes a lot of pride in playing football,” Spalding said. “My observations from having him is that he wants to be great. I’ve coached some really good backs, and he has the mentality and the makeup to be a really good player.”
Edwards has coached the likes of NCAA standouts Braelon Allen and Jaleel McLaughlin, so Edwards has high praise that has high expectations attached.
With all of the players in the room bought in and competing, the goal was made clear: to be the best running back room in the nation.
“I really think we’re all connected as a group, even the coaches,” Edwards said. “We are bought in. Our memo is that we want to be the best running back room in the country, so that’s how everybody approaches it. Everyone in that room is great, it’s tough.”
Although the splits are yet to be determined, the depth has been a good problem to have for Spalding.
“We can create mismatches,” Spalding said. “Whatever we want to do from a game plan purpose, we have a guy that we can put out there to be able to get that done.”
Doug Doty is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State football forming new bonds, new goals in spring
Reporting by Doug Doty, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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