Michigan State Depth Chart Preview: Kristian Phillips appears ready to rise at left guard
East Lansing, Mich. – The following is the third in a series of articles projecting Michigan State’s football depth chart, heading into preseason camp.
LEFT GUARD:
1. KRISTIAN PHILLIPS (6-4, 315, R-Soph., Conyers, Ga./Salem High)
Michigan State will have a new full-time left guard this fall for the first time since 2018. J.D. Duplain graduated after being a part-time starter in ’19 and ’20 and then starting every game in ’21, ’22 and ’23.
“Big Dooley” Phillips has been slowly, steadily developing and climbing the depth chart, repping last year as a second-stringer in practice, although he rarely saw time in games. Phillips came to Michigan State as a three-star recruit, ranked No. 101 in Georgia in the On3 Industry Rankings. He was thick and strong as a high school prospect, but slowish.
He played 33 snaps at right guard last year, including a career-high 14 against RIchmond. He saw action in all 12 games on special teams.
With Duplain having graduated, and fellow offensive guards Kevin Wigenton and Geno VanDeMark having transferred, Phillips’ readiness as a potential starter is a major question heading into the 2024 season. It’s also a big X-factor which will have a bearing on whether or not the Spartan offensive line can surprise this fall.
Wigenton transferred in December. That opened the opportunity for Phillips to audition with the first string during the spring. He moved to left guard, due to VanDeMark’s presence at right guard.
At 6-4, 315, Phillips has been re-arranging his mass over the last two years. He has power. But does he have the quickness to move laterally and cover ground the way Brian Lindgren and Jim Michalczik require with their system?
First of all, Jonathan Smith’s assistant coaches have said they will adapt their schemes to fit the talent that is available to them. That being said, Lindgren and Michalczik would prefer mobile, quick athletes in the offensive front. Can Phillips deliver in that area? I asked Michalczik this question during spring practice.
“He’s quick,” Michalczik said. “He can move and he’s doing stuff and he’s mentally learning the system and all those things. I’ve been happy with this whole group.”
Michalczik has been extremely quiet about player development coming out of spring practice and into the summer. All that we can go by at this time is what we saw in the Spring Showcase. Phillips played left guard with the first unit on that day, and throughout the spring.
In the Spring Showcase, Phillips was the only player on the offense who served double duty on two units. In addition to getting all of the left guard reps with the first team, he also payed left guard with the third team. Michigan State coaches tested him with more scrimmage reps than anyone on the offense. That should give you an idea of the development they need from him, and his importance. They tested him hard, and he passed.
For a player who has never seen first-string reps in an actual college football game, Phillips impressed me with his level of competence in the Spring Showcase. Is he ready to play left guard for 60 minutes at a level expected of a Big Ten starter? You’ll know when I know.
Phillips seems to have come further than any player on the roster since November. Whether or not that’s enough to play functional, accountable football as a starting offensive guard in 2024 remains to be seen. I’m not closing the door on that possibility. Michigan State needs him.
In the meantime, here is SpartanMag’s unofficial scorecard on Phillips from the Spring Showcase:
+ In quick-hitting pass protection, he stood up walk-on DT Jaxson Wilson with little problem.
+ He erased Cal Haladay when he climbed out to the linebacker level and kept him out of the daylight on Nathan Carter’s 48-yard TD run.
= Solid job on a duo blocking scheme midway through the second quarter. He wasn’t able to double-team the DT when the LBs came on a blitz. So he adjusted onto blitzing LB Jordan Hall, put leverage on him and took Hall where Hall wanted to go and then walled him off (but there was a missed block by Jacob Merritt vs Aaron Alexander to Phillips’ left and the play went for a loss).
+ Good combo block on an inside zone, on first-and-goal at the 8-yard line late in the first half. Jalen Berger gained six on the play. Phillips chucked DT Ben Nelson toward C Cooper Terpstra, Terpstra handled him from there; Phillips climbed out to LB level, hit Jordan Hall in the chin and put him on skates back to the goal line.
+ Good movement vs Jaxson Wilson on an inside zone, on the third play of the second half. RB Joe Martinez with a gain of five.
– Next play, allowed Jaxson Wilson to press the pocket a bit with a bull rush, and get a hand in the face of QB Andrew Schorfhaar.
+ Terrific base block vs Jaxson Wilson, overpowered him and steered him inside, early in the fourth quarter. The d-line was trying to two-gap, but Wilson isn’t big and strong enough to two-gap Phillips at this juncture. Phillips made contact as the low man, popped his hips, got a yard of movement off the line of scrimmage and steered Wilson inside. RB Chris Williams had a gain of 13.
– Next play, Wilson two-gapping again and Wilson did a better job this time. Phillips and Wilson were locked in a stalemate. Williams was stopped for no gain.
= decent job by Phillips with Brandon Baldwin in pass protection at the end of the first half on pass rush stunt.
* Overall, Phillips was dominant against reserve defensive tackles. He moved well, seemed to have a functional level of endurance. He didn’t have any plus plays against first-string defensive tackles, nor did he have any negative ones. When he got out to the linebacker level, he mauled people.
2. GAVIN BROSCIOUS (6-5, 288, R-Soph., Surprise, Ariz./Desert Edge High)
Gavin Broscious (68) showed progress at left guard this spring. (Photo by Donté Smith for SpartanMag.com).
Next to Phillips’ readiness as a potential starter at left guard, perhaps the next biggest question on offense is whether Gavin Broscious is ready to be a capable second-stringer at left guard.
Broscious came to Michigan State as a three-star recruit, ranked No. 733 in the nation and No. 11 in Arizona in the On3 Industry Rankings.
He redshirted as a freshman in 2022 and then missed last season with a leg injury.
The Spring Showcase marked the first time Michigan State fans and media have been able to observe Broscious in pads while in green and white. He looked functional. In brief conversations I’ve had with Michalczik, the o-line coach concurred that Broscious is making progress and “has a chance,” as coaches like to say.
SpartanMag’s unofficial scorecard on Broscious from the Spring Showcase:
* He plays with an angry edge to him, has a high-effort air about him.
* Broscious was solid all day. He has a well-proportioned, square body frame. He moved well and put a dent in people when he had a chance.
* He laid into a decent collision vs Jaxson Wilson in pass protection late in the first half, and was pretty enthusiastic about it.
+ Good job getting out on Haladay, turning, sealing him inside with pretty good pop on a 17-yard inside run. Tanner Miller’s block on Jordan Hall was the key block in what looked like a man blocking scheme.
= Solid down block against Maverick Hansen on first-and-goal early in the first quarter.
= Was solid when locking up with Hansen on a play early in the second half. The veteran Hansen didn’t seem to be in kill mode on this day, but Broscious looked like he belonged.
+ Good zone block vs Jaxson Wilson, got a yard of movement, on a gain of eight by RB Brandon Tullis with 1:51 left in the scrimmage.
(Others: Senior Dallas Fincher has repped at center at right guard at a back-up level through his career. In a pinch, he could presumably move to left guard. It’s unclear whether he repped at left guard during the spring. … Redshirt-freshman Cole Dellinger has repped at center and guard in the past. He missed last fall and the spring while recovering from an injury. He’s training and taking optional reps mainly at center this summer … Redshirt-freshman Cooper Terpstra repped at second-string center and right guard in the Spring Showcase … Incoming freshman Rustin Young (6-5, 275) enrolled in June.)
MID-SUMMER ANALYSIS: Phillips has come along sharply as a potentially solid starter. If his slope of improvement continues, the star status that previous coaches Mel Tucker and Chris Kapilovic saw in him could be realized. However, at this stage, Michigan State’s outlook at left guard is far below the level of accountability and dependability that Duplain provided. Duplain was good, never great. But Michigan State would take “good” right now at the position, and there’s a chance Phillips could eventually eclipse Duplain’s level of play, perhaps soon. SpartanMag is not predicting that will be the case this fall, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
Depth Chart Projection Series:
Left Tackle full story.
Right Tackle full story.
SpartanMag’s Projected Michigan State Depth Chart
LEFT TACKLE
Brandon Baldwin, 6-7, 327, Sr., Detroit
Stanton Ramil, 6-7, 312, R-Fr., Alabaster, Ala.
Mercer Luniewski, 6-6, 320, Fr., Cincinnati
Jacob Merritt, 6-6, 286, R-So., Northville, Mich.
RIGHT TACKLE
Ashton Lepo, 6-7, 296, R-Soph., Grand Haven, Mich.
Charlton Luniewski, 6-5, 289, Fr., Cincinnati
Andrew Dennis, 6-5, 295, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
LEFT GUARD
Kristian Phillips, 6-4, 315, R-Soph., Conyers, Ga.
Gavin Broscious, 6-5, 288, R-Soph., Surprise, Ariz.
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